


The Other Diggory

by themagicalslytherin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Dark Magic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Humor, Love, Love Confessions, Magic, Multi, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:14:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 57,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themagicalslytherin/pseuds/themagicalslytherin
Summary: What if Cedric wasn't the only Diggory at Hogwarts? Meet his sister Vanessa, a Slytherin who is best friends with the makers of mischeif, Fred and George Weasley. Her life changes in many ways in her sixth year, and she'll never be the same.All cannon characters and storylines are property of J.K. Rowling. All original characters and storylines are my own.
Relationships: George Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. The Other Diggory

Vanessa Diggory was the brightest witch in her year. The sixteen year old was getting ready to enter her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with her brother Cedric, who was a Hufflepuff. Her mother had gotten pregnant with her right after she had Cedric, and had given birth early, which is why the two were in the same year.

She had been sorted into Slytherin in her first year, the first of her family to ever be in the house, something that always seemed to bother her father. The sorting hat had told Vanessa that she was cunning and ambitious, but she did not have a bad heart or negative intentions. She had been a little disappointed, having wanted to be sorted into the same house as her life long friends, Fred and George Weasley. But life had other plans, though that didn’t stop the trio from spending all their time together and causing mischief. 

She made the Slytherin Quidditch team in her second year and became Quidditch Captain and Prefect in her fifth year. Her brother had achieved the same accomplishments, and somehow their father was always more proud of him than he was of her, and she was never sure why. 

Vanessa was preparing to make her annual trip to the Weasley’s home, the Burrow. It was something she had done since her second year. She would spend the summer with her family, and then two weeks before the start of term, she would go spend time with the people she considered her second family. Though this year, her mother wasn’t as keen on her going. 

After the events at the Quidditch World Cup and the apparent return of the Death Eaters, everyone was on edge. Her father had been working overtime at the Ministry, trying to help out where he could. 

As she was putting her clothes into her trunk, her mother had walked into her room, carrying what looked to be a garment bag. 

“Dear, are you sure you want to go? I would feel much safer if you stayed here with us until term started.” Mrs. Diggory made her way over to the bed and sat down on it, placing the bag next to her, while Vanessa continued to pack. 

“Mum, I know you’re worried, but you know Mrs. Weasley won’t let anything happen to me while I'm there. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to be very far away.”

The Diggory and Weasley families lived on the outskirts of the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, as did several other wizarding families. That was how Vanessa had known the Weasley family as long as she had. Not to mention, her mother and Molly were very good friends. 

She looked over at her mother, and the bag on the bed next to her. “What’s that?” 

The question seemed to perk her mother up. “Well your school list required a dress for this year, so I went and picked one out for you. I know you’re not much for dresses, but I saw this one and knew I had to get it for you.” 

She handed her the bag and Vanessa opened it, gasping when she saw it. It was the most beautiful emerald and black lace dress she had ever seen. While her mother was right - she wasn’t one for dresses, this one blew her away. 

“Thanks, Mum.” She zipped up the bag and carefully placed it in her trunk, before turning to hug her mother. 

Knowing her daughter wasn’t going to change her mind about going to the Weasleys, Mrs. Diggory stood up. “Dinner will be ready soon. You better finish your packing so you can leave when we’re done. Molly is expecting you tonight.” 

She threw the last few things she needed into her trunk and closed it. Her owl, Ruby, was currently out flying, so she put the empty cage on top of her trunk. Finally, she grabbed her broom from her wardrobe. She was more than ready to play Quidditch again. While she and Cedric flew over the holiday, it wasn’t the same as actually being on the pitch. The flying had helped keep her in playing shape though. 

Vanessa was 5’5”, with a fair complexion, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. It wasn’t until the summer before her fourth year that she had started to fully develop. Her body was now toned and curvy. She was in shape because of Quidditch, but the curves and everything else she got from her mother’s side of the family. 

She had changed out of her sweats and into her favorite t-shirt and jeans, pairing her outfit with her favorite black boots. She was looking at herself in the mirror when she heard laughter coming from her doorway. She turned to see her brother looking at her. 

“What’s so funny?”

“I just never thought I would see the day that you stared at yourself in the mirror.” 

She rolled her eyes at him. “You know I don't give a damn Ced.” 

Her brother walked into her room and sat in the spot their mother had previously occupied on the bed. He picked up the book she had been reading for the last week and put it down almost immediately and made a face. “Well, clearly you do if you’re reading garbage like that.” 

“What I read is none of your concern. At least I'm not out doing what you’re doing.” She picked up her book and put it in her bag. “Yeah, I saw Cho’s mark. Not like she has it in a hidden spot.” 

In the Wizarding World, witches were born with a birthmark somewhere on their body. As soon as they lost their virginity, the mark turned from a dark brown color to a shimmering iridescent color. Vanessa’s was still dark brown and was positioned upon her right wrist. She was one of the few girls left in her year whose mark hadn't changed. 

Cedric shrugged. “Well, we have been together for a while. But what about you, any boys I should be telling to stay away from my little sister.” 

“No, because boys aren’t interested in me like that.” 

“I would disagree. Unless you were oblivious, I saw several boys staring at you at the Quidditch World Cup.” 

She laughed. “You’re funny, you know that? Boys, looking at me. Please.” 

“As someone who knows that look, I know what I’m talking about.” 

She rolled her eyes. Her mother had just called them both down to dinner. “Help me with my stuff, will you? I’m leaving for the Weasleys tonight.” 

“Speaking of boys who are interested in you.” 

“Shut it. I would hex you right now if I could.” Though Vanessa wouldn't admit it, she had started to develop feelings beyond friendship for one of the twins in her fifth year. She would never tell them though, as she didn’t want to ruin the years of friendship they had between them. 

She and her brother continued bickering down the stairs and into the kitchen. They set Vanessa’s things next to the fireplace, as she would be using the floo network to get to the Weasley’s house. 

The three of them sat and had dinner, enjoying each other's company, and talking about the upcoming school year. Mrs. Diggory kept hinting that something exciting would be happening at Hogwarts that year, but wouldn't tell them what it was. 

When dinner was finished, both Cedric and Vanessa helped their mother clean up. Once they were done, Cedric hugged his sister. 

“Have a fun rest of the summer, Nessa. I’ll see you on September 1st.” He left his mother and sister alone in the kitchen and headed off back upstairs. 

“Vanessa dear, I want you to know how proud I am of you and everything you’ve accomplished. And I’m sorry about your father, I know it hurts you that he doesn’t show you the love he shows Cedric. But you’ll always have me.” Her mother knew the relationship between Vanessa and her father had caused her to often be depressed or have panic attacks. Her mother had had to beg her father to take her to the Quidditch World Cup that summer.

“I have something for you. I hope you don’t have to use it, but as you’re sixteen, I figured I should give it to you just in case.”

Her mother took a vial out of her pocket that contained a pale pink liquid. Vanessa looked at her curiously as she took it from her hand. There was no label on it.

“I was a young witch once too. I know what’s probably on your mind. I just want you to be careful. This bottle will last you a whole year if you decide to use it.” 

“What is it?” 

“It’s a potion to stop you from getting pregnant if you decide to, well, you know.” 

She looked at her mother, her eyes wide and horrified at what was happening. Was she having the talk with her right now? 

“You’ve turned into a beautiful young woman dear. Just let things happen naturally, and when you’re ready. And never let any man push you into doing something you don’t want to.” 

She shoved the vial into her bag before moving towards the fireplace. 

“I don’t think you need to worry about any of that Mum.” She gave her a quick hug goodbye and started moving her things into the fireplace. 

“Have a good rest of the summer dear and a great term. I love you.” 

“I love you too.” She took a handful of floo powder and shouted The Burrow, before vanishing into the green flames, her kitchen disappearing from view. 


	2. The Burrow

Vanessa arrived at the Burrow moments later. She wiped the dust off her shoulders and hair and stepped out of the fireplace and into the kitchen. She pulled her things out of the fireplace just as she heard footsteps approaching behind her. Fred, George, and Mrs. Weasley were all entering the kitchen, all with smiles on their faces. 

“If it isn’t our favorite Slytherin,” George said, pushing Fred out of the way to hug her first. 

“I was going to say that,” Fred said, pushing George out of the way and hugging her.

“Both of you take her things up to Ginny’s room,” Mrs. Weasley said, hugging her as well. She pulled away, still smiling. “You’ll be staying with Ginny as both Bill and Charlie are here still. I know you normally take Charlie’s room but seeing as he’s currently using it. Plus, Hermione and Harry are here, so we’ve got a bit of a full house.” 

“No worries Mrs. Weasley. I appreciate you having me again.” 

She waved her hand. “Please, you know you’re always welcome. I’ve known you since you were a little girl and your mother and I have been best friends for a long time. You’re practically family. Now, can I get you anything, or would you like to go upstairs and see everyone?” 

“I’ll come down for some tea later. But I’ll go say hello to everyone. Thank you again, Mrs. Weasley.” 

She left the kitchen and made her way up the stairs to the youngest Weasley’s room. Even though Ginny was three years younger than her, she had always enjoyed spending time with her. She and Hermione were both like the little sisters she never had.

When she opened the door, both girls stood up from their spots on the floor and hugged her. “Nessa you're here!” Ginny shrieked with excitement. 

“Yeah, thankfully my Mum let me come. After everything that happened at the World Cup, she had half a mind to have me stay home with her.” 

“Well, we’re glad you’re here,” Hermione said.

“Yeah, so are we.” She could feel the twins behind her. 

“Once you’re done with the girl talk or whatever this is, come see us. We’ve got some new products we’re working on that we want you to see,” Fred said, before walking off with George to their room. 

Hermione and Ginny pulled her into the room and closed the door behind them. “You spend enough time with them as it is. No need to rush off.” 

“So Gin, heard your boyfriend is here. Have you told him how you feel yet?” It was a known fact, to everyone except Harry and Ron apparently, that Ginny had had a crush on Harry since the first time she saw him. He was almost all she talked about when they were together.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t fancy Harry.” The younger girl started blushing. She was a bad liar. 

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “What about you Mione? Any boys you have an eye on?”

“Not at all.” 

“Harry or Ron?” 

“Shut it, Nessa. They’re my best friends. You don’t see me interrogating you about having feelings for the twins. And you’ve known them a lot longer than I’ve known Harry or Ron.” 

She laughed. She was annoying both of them, even if they knew she was right about their feelings. They sat and talked about everything that had happened in the short time that had passed since the World Cup. It seemed like the event was a lifetime ago. After a while, she decided she should go see the twins before they came to look for her again.

Standing up, Vanessa opened the door and started making her way down to stairs to the level the twin’s room was located. Lost in thought and not paying attention, she ran into something, or someone, very solid. Nearly falling over, she felt strong arms wrap around her and pull her up. She looked up to see Charlie holding her, and she could feel her cheeks heating up. He was shirtless, his tan chest and face speckled with freckles. 

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” 

He continued to hold her, as he smiled down at her. “Nice to see you, Diggory.” 

“Oi, what’s going on here?” The twins had appeared, obviously hearing the commotion outside their room. Charlie stepped aside and let her go. The twins had stunned looks on their faces and were glaring at their older brother. 

Charlie leaned down and whispered in her ear. “See you around, Nessa.” A slight shiver ran down her spine as he walked by her and down the hall to his room. 

The twins pulled Vanessa into their room, snapping her out of whatever trance she was temporarily in. 

“What was that,” George asked, the annoyance clear in his voice. 

“I ran into him. It was nothing. I don’t know why you two are looking at me like that.” She sat down in a chair they had in the corner of their room and looked at them both. “So what did you want to show me?” 

They proceeded to show her at least five new products they had come up with over the summer holiday, two of which she let them test out on her, but later regretted. Mrs. Weasley had to make quick work of removing multiple warts that had appeared on Vanessa’s face, as well as change her hair back to its natural color, as it had turned a horrible shade of yellow. The twins laughed the whole time, even when she threatened to hex them. 

Once everything had settled down, Mrs. Weasley told her she would make her a cup of tea and leave it in the living room for her. 

Going back upstairs, she changed into her pajamas and told Hermione and Ginny what happened. Well, part of what happened anyway. She wasn’t about to tell them about running into Charlie. 

She slipped into a pair of shorts and a tank top and threw her hair into a ponytail. She grabbed her book out of her bag and headed downstairs, where she settled into her favorite armchair, a cup of tea sitting on the side table next to it. She took the cozy blanket from the back of the chair and threw it over her legs. She sipped her tea for a moment, before starting on her book. 

_ Why am I reading this? It’s so unrealistic _ , she thought to herself. She originally purchased the book, thinking it was going to be about a wizard and his magical adventures, and it was to an extent. It was also about his sexual conquests. She hadn’t realized that until she was a few chapters in. For some reason though, she couldn't stop reading it. 

“I can hear you both.” She set her book down in her lap, watching her two best friends come into the room and sit on the sofa next to the chair she was in. “Come to apologize for what you did to my face and hair again?” She took a sip of her tea and eyed them suspiciously. 

“Ness, we’ve already apologized a million times. How many more times do we have to say it?” George practically whined. 

Fred however, reached out and grabbed the book she was reading, looking at it curiously before reading the description.

“Our little bookworm.” But his eyes widened when he opened to the page she had marked off. “Georgie, our little Nessa here is reading a dirty book.” 

“Give it back Fred.” She got up from her chair and went to grab it from him, forgetting how little she was wearing. George had grabbed her and pulled her down onto the couch. 

“Dirty books Nessa? Didn’t know that was your thing.” He took her right arm and looked at her wrist. She knew exactly what he was looking for. 

Pulling her arm away, she snatched her book from Fred and went to sit back in the chair, wrapping the blanket around her once again, and hiding her book. 

She saw the twins exchange a look and George shook his head slightly to Fred. 

“What the bloody hell has gotten into the two of you?” She was glaring at them now. 

“Oh come on, we’re just messing with you. Having a little fun. Since when did you become so uptight?” Fred laughed, but George stayed silent. He saw the look in her eyes and he wasn’t about to say anything that might set her off. 

Standing up from the chair, she folded the blanket and set it back in the basket she had pulled it from. She grabbed her book and cup of tea and headed back upstairs, not answering them. 

“Feisty that one.” 

“You pissed her off Freddie.” 

“I wasn’t the one who looked at her mark though.” 

“But at least it hasn’t changed yet.”

“You might still have a shot, Georgie.” 

George looked at Fred, a somewhat worried expression on his face. “We’ve known her since we were kids. What if this changes things. What if it messes up this great thing I already have with her? She’s our best friend.” 

“Some of the best relationships start as friendships though. You never know, she could feel the same way about you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my beta read Chantelle for helping with everything! I am forever greatful.


	3. Back to Hogwarts

Vanessa told Ginny and Hermione what happened with the twins when she returned to the room that night. When she woke up the next morning she had a letter under her pillow. She recognized the handwriting immediately. It was written by George, but it was signed by both of them. They apologized for the night before, not only for the products that backfired but for the whole situation in the living room.

She got up, showered, and got dressed. She wasn’t going to waste the last few weeks of her holiday fighting with her best friends. She was just going to put it behind her and move on.

Ruby had arrived at the Burrow sometime in the night, which also brightened her spirits. 

Two weeks flew by. She spent most days outside playing games of Quidditch with Fred, George, Charlie, Ron, and Harry. She had even spent time talking to Charlie, talking about how she wanted to become a Magizoologist when she graduated Hogwarts. 

The night before they were to head to Platform 9 ¾, Mrs. Weasley prepared a huge feast for them, with Bill finally joining them for only the second time since Vanessa had been there. He had been working so much at Gringotts and hadn’t spent much time at the Burrow. 

The night came and went and Mrs. Weasley insisted they all go to bed, as they had a big day ahead of them. Of course, no one listened. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stayed up playing games of Wizards Chess and Exploding Snap, while Vanessa was helping the twins with the products they had been working on.

Mrs. Weasley eventually yelled at them to all go to bed or she was going to start hexing them.

They all awoke and got ready the next morning. Bill and Charlie were going to be accompanying Mrs. Weasley and the rest of the group to King's Cross. 

When they reached the platform, Mrs. Weasley gave hugs to everyone, while Bill and Charlie also said their goodbyes. As they were boarding the train, they turned around to wave goodbye one last time, Vanessa catching Charlie winking directly at her. She blushed, turning back around and following the twins, hoping they didn’t see what just happened. 

She followed the twins to an empty compartment and stored her trunk and owl’s cage in the luggage compartment above the seats. “Well, I’m off to the Prefects compartment. I’ll be back soon.” 

After patrolling for most of the journey, she was finally told by the Head Girl that she could go back to her compartment and get dressed in her school uniform, as they would be arriving at Hogsmeade within the next half hour.

She went back to the compartment where the twins were eating what looked like their fifth or sixth Chocolate Frog each. She pulled down her trunk and got out her school uniform and robes. “I’m going to go get dressed, we’ll be arriving soon.” She picked up one of their uneaten Chocolate Frogs and took it out of the package, taking a bite. 

“Hey, that was mine.” 

“Stop whining Fred, it’s very unbecoming.” 

She finished eating the frog and threw the card down on the pile they had in between them. Another Slytherin. She seemed to get those a lot. She headed out of the compartment and down to the bathrooms where she quickly changed. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her uniform was fitting a little tighter this year, her skirt a bit shorter than it had been last year. She wished she could wear pants, but it wasn’t part of the dress code for the girls. 

Stepping out of the bathroom, she headed back down the corridor, saying hello to several classmates as she passed their compartments. Adrian Pucey had gotten out of the compartment she was just about to pass and smiled at her. 

“Hey, Diggory.” He leaned against the door of the compartment. “Sorry I didn’t get to talk to you more at the Cup when I saw you. Lots happening and all. You look good.” 

What in the world was going on? She brushed her hair behind her ear and smiled. “Don’t worry about it, Adrian. What a crazy night that turned out to be though. And thank you. But don’t try to butter me up, you know it never works.” 

She knew most of the boys on the Quidditch team always tried to get on her good side so she wasn’t so hard on them when they did something stupid during a game or practice. She went to pass him, but he grabbed her arm gently. They were standing inches apart from each other now. 

“Would you be interested in going to Hogsmeade with me,” he ran a hand through his hair before finishing. “On a date.”

Vanessa blushed. He was asking her out? This all seemed so odd to her.

She placed her hand on his arm and smiled up at him. “Adrian, I can’t. You know Quiddtich comes first. If we had a date and it went badly, it would make Quidditch a little weird.” 

“Understandable. But you know, you should get out and have fun every once and awhile. I’ll see you at Hogwarts.” He winked at her and turned back to join his friends in his compartment. 

She walked back to the compartment and slid open the door. The twins were looking up at her with curious expressions on their faces. 

“What, do I have something on me?” She looked down and smoothed out her robes. 

“Why are your cheeks so pink,” asked George. 

She sat down on the seat across from them. They were both waiting for her to answer. She bit her lip before answering. “When I was walking back, Adrian Pucey stopped me, and um, he asked me out.” 

Their faces told her all she needed to know. They weren’t happy about this. 

“Listen, both of you. Don’t go doing something stupid or start acting like gits.” She sighed. “I honestly don’t know what’s gotten into the two of you. First, you get mad about me bumping into Charlie, and now you’re upset I've been asked out. You’re acting stupid.” 

They looked at each other and then back at her. It was as though they were having a silent conversation between themselves. 

She honestly wasn’t sure how she felt about any of this. Sure she liked boys, but between school and quidditch, she never really found time to care much about going out on dates. Not to mention, no one had ever asked her out or shown interest until now. 

“So what did you tell him,” George asked curiously. The air in the compartment seemed to shift and the two boys went back to acting somewhat normal.

“I told him I didn’t want to go out with someone I play Quidditch with. Besides, I need to focus on school this year, what with the N.E.W.T.s coming up next year. I don’t know that I’ll have time to go out with him or anyone else for that matter.”

The twins looked at each other when she had her back to them, as she pulled her trunk down from the luggage compartment. The train was slowing down, and she knew they were entering the station. “I’ve got to help with the first years, but I’ll see you both later.” 

They said their goodbyes, as she took off down the hallway, her owl in one hand and her trunk in the other.

Vanessa didn’t see the twins again until she was entering the Great Hall for the feast about two hours later. She had taken her usual seat at the Slytherin table next to Adrian and Graham Montague. The three of them talked about how excited they were to get back to playing Quidditch. She was glad Adrian wasn’t bringing up asking her out again. She was the only girl on the Slytherin team, but she was also more intense than the boys. She would always yell at them during practices, and it intimidated most of them, even Malfoy.

The feast came and went, and then Dumbledore made his announcements. First, that Quidditch would be canceled for the season, and second, the Triwizard Tournament was coming to Hogwarts. 

While the Quidditch teams were all upset by the cancellation, everyone seemed to perk up at the mention of the tournament. The school would also host students from fellow wizarding schools Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute. The delegates of the schools would be arriving on October 30th, with the champions from each school being selected the next day at the Hallowe'en Feast. Also mentioned was the fact that no one under the age of seventeen would be able to enter, which the twins and several other students were not pleased about. 

The final news, much to the excitement of the female population of the school, was announced last. The Yule Ball would be held on December 25, only for the fourth years and above. Those who wished to attend could stay at Hogwarts for the holiday, and Vanessa was sure most would opt to stay. She didn’t see several sets of eyes looking at her during the announcement, her focus was on the headmaster. Suddenly the dress made sense.


	4. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang

Time seemed to fly by, as October 30th finally arrived. Dumbledore had the entire student body and the professors gather on the front steps outside of the entrance hall to await their guests. The Prefects and Head Boy and Head Girl were positioned near the front with the professors. They were told they would be in charge of showing the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students around throughout their stay. 

Both schools were sending 15 students each as their delegates and would be accompanied by the heads of their schools. 

Beauxbatons was the first to arrive. They came by a huge flying carriage, pulled by Abraxan winged horses. While there were several male students, it was the female students who seemed to garner the attention of the males in the crowd. Dumbledore greeted the headmistress, the tallest woman Vanessa had ever seen. He introduced her to the school, and Madame Maxime bowed her head graciously before taking off inside the castle with her students. 

Next was the Durmstrang delegation. They arrived by a boat that reminded everyone of a pirate ship. They came from the lake, mostly all male students with a few female students here and there from what she could see. Dumbledore greeted their headmaster, Karkaroff before Karkaroff started boasting about his star pupil who was sure to be the school champion. It was then that Vanessa’s jaw dropped, along with most of her schoolmates. Viktor Krum made his way to the front of the delegation and shook hands with Dumbledore. 

Vanessa thought back to the Quidditch World Cup. Her family had sat in the Minister of Magic’s box with the Weasley family. At the end of the match, both teams came up to the box for the trophy presentation. She had her eyes fixed on him all through the game. He was her favorite Quidditch player. He had been standing so close to her that night. And now here he was, at Hogwarts.

The Durmstrang delegation, like Beauxbatons, had walked through the parted crowd into the school at Dumbledore’s request. Krum walked right past her. Everyone around her was buzzing about the international Quidditch star.

“Please enter the Great Hall and take your seats at your house tables,” McGonagall spoke, snapping Vanessa out of her thoughts. 

Upon entering the Great Hall for the welcoming feast and celebration, Vanessa noticed the students of both visiting schools were looking around, wondering where to sit. Once the tables started to fill up, the Beauxbatons decided to sit amongst the Ravenclaws, while the Durmstrang students sat with the Slytherins. 

Vanessa took her normal seat at the table when a deep voice spoke behind her. “Is this seat taken?” 

She turned around and was looking up at none other than Viktor Krum himself. She shook her head and motioned for him to sit next to her. She stared down at the empty plate in front of her. She honestly couldn’t believe her luck. When she looked across the hall, she saw the looks on Fred, George, Ron, and Hermione’s faces. Ron was a bigger fan of Krum than she was, not shutting up about him at the World Cup. Her eyes met Hermione’s, the younger girl was smiling at her. She knew what a fan Vanessa was of the Bulgarian. 

“I know who you are,” Viktor said in his thick Bulgarian accent. “I saw you when I was in the Minister’s box at the Quidditch World Cup when Ireland was accepting the trophy.”

She blushed ten shades of red. “My name is Vanessa, Vanessa Diggory.” 

She reached her hand out to shake his, not expecting him to grab it and bring it to his lips. 

“A pleasure to meet you, Vanessa.” 

Dumbledore had taken his place at his podium in front of the staff table, starting his speech and welcoming the foreign students. He mentioned that the Prefects, Head Boy and Head Girl would be available to the visiting students to show them around the school and if otherwise needed. He then spoke of the tournament, mentioning once more that the champions would be picked the next night. This was also when Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch revealed the Goblet of Fire. They both reiterated that no one under the age of seventeen would qualify to enter, and that protective enchantments would be set up to prevent younger students from even being tempted to try and put their names into the Goblet.

Once the feast began, Vanessa found herself being very conscious about what she was eating. Normally she didn’t care, but sitting next to Vikor Krum made her self-conscious all of a sudden. The two spoke on and off throughout the meal, Viktor becoming very interested when Vanessa mentioned she was a Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team, as well as the Captain. He also seemed very impressed when she told him she was also a Prefect. 

“Well, your Headmaster said the Prefects would show us around the school and grounds if we wanted. I hope you will be able to show me around if you have time.” 

She brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. “I think I could make some time for that.” 

He smiled down at her, reaching out to take her hand again, and kissed it. “It’s been a pleasure, Vanessa. I’ll see you soon.” He got up and walked out of the Great Hall and into the entrance hall to join his headmaster who had finished dinner shortly before he had. 

Finishing up the rest of her food, she stood up from the table as well and headed off to the library. She had some studying she wanted to get done before bed. 

No classes were held on Hallowe'en. Vanessa spent most of the day in the hall where the Goblet of Fire had been placed. She watched students from every house enter their names, clapping occasionally for people she knew. The occasional Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students would also come in and submit their names, garnering attention from the Hogwarts students. It wasn't until a group of Hufflepuffs entered that she stood from her seat. Cedric had passed the age line and entered his name. She smiled and walked over to hug her brother and wish him luck. 

“No luck needed sis. I’ve got this.” He hugged her back before being swept away by the group who came in with him. 

She sat down next to Hermione when cheers erupted around them. Fred and George had come into the hall with some sort of potion in their hands. Harry and Ron were standing near them, cheering them on.

“Thank you. Thank you. Well lads, we’ve done it,” said George.

“Cooked it up just this morning,” said Fred.

“It’s not going to work,” Hermione said, as the twins walked over to her and crouched down next to them.

“Oh yeah,” Fred asked.

“Why’s that Granger,” George asked. 

“You see this,” Hermione pointed at the magical line surrounding the Goblet. “This is an age line. Dumbledore drew it himself.” 

“So,” Fred continued. 

She rolled her eyes. “So, a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by a dodge as pathetically dim-witted as an Aging Potion.”

“But that’s why it’s so brilliant,” said Fred. 

“Because it’s so pathetically dim-witted. Ready, Fred?” 

“Ready, George.” 

“Bottoms up,” they spoke in unison, both downing their potions. They crossed the age line and cheers erupted around the room. Moments after putting the parchment with their names into the Goblet, sparks of blue light started to shoot out of it, and the twins were thrown back past the age line. White hair immediately started replacing the red hair on their heads, and they were both growing beards that Dumbledore would be proud of. 

They started wrestling each other on the floor and everyone surrounded them yelling for a fight. But the room fell silent moments later. Several Durmstrang students, including Viktor Krum, had entered the hall to put their names into the Goblet. Once Viktor had put his name into the Goblet, he spotted Vanessa sitting on the bench and winked at her, before taking off. 

“What’s going on with you and Krum?” The curiosity was evident in Hermione’s voice. 

“Nothing is going on.” 

“I saw you two at the table last night, and again this morning. The way he kisses your hand when either of you arrives or leaves. Not to mention that wink he just gave you.” 

“He recognized me from the Quidditch World Cup. He remembered me sitting in the Minister's box. We talked about Quidditch and I told him I’m a Prefect, so he’s asked me to show him around the school and grounds when I can. It’s nothing Mione. Don't look at me like that.” 

She shook her head and smiled. “Whatever you say, Ness. You better take those two up to the hospital wing. Doesn't look like their beards have stopped growing.” 

Vanessa got up from her spot and moved over to where the twins were now sitting and staring at each other. “Hermione did say it wouldn't work.” She reached out and offered them both a hand, which they took. She helped them up, laughing at the sight of them. “You should have listened to her.” 

They followed her to the hospital wing and she waited for Madam Pomfrey to finish with them. Even the matron couldn’t help but smile at the twins' appearance. A few hours later, they were back to their normal ginger selves. 

They walked out of the hospital wing, but before they made it to the marble staircase, the twins dragged her into an empty classroom. She turned around and they were both looking down at her with questioning looks upon their faces. 

“So are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend,” asked George. 

Vanessa had almost forgotten that the first trip to the village was coming up. With her homework load almost doubling what it was last year, not to mention Moody wanting them all to practice new defensive spells, she hardly had time to think of anything else. She just shrugged and gave them an honest answer. 

“I hadn’t thought much about it. Probably. I want to visit Honeydukes and get some Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. I’ll let you know.” She turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving them both staring off after her. 

“I never noticed how much I like to watch her walk away before.” 

“Shut up Georgie.”

His twin shrugged his shoulders. “Let’s get to dinner..” 

They followed her out of the room, but she had already disappeared down the staircase before they could catch up to her.

The Goblet had been moved into the Great Hall, awaiting the announcement of the champions which would happen after the feast. 

Viktor sat beside Vanessa again and the two started conversing before tucking into their dinner. 

“Oi, Fred, George, have you talked to Vanessa lately?” 

Fred, who had been sitting next to Ron, looked over at him. Ron was looking over at Krum and Vanessa at the Slytherin table, the same as the twins had been. “We saw her before dinner. She took us to the hospital wing. Why?” 

“Just curious as to what’s going on with her and Krum. Think she might introduce me?” 

“Honestly Ron, just walk up to him and introduce yourself. That’s what his little fan club has been trying to do,” said Hermione. 

The twins just huffed. They took their eyes off their friend and started to eat. 

After the remnants of the feast were cleared and the tables wiped clean, Dumbledore moved to where the Goblet had been positioned. He went over a few last-minute notes and mentioned that whoever's name was called would be asked to go straight to the trophy room which lay beyond the professor’s table at the front of the hall. 

Moments later, the lights were dimmed around the hall as the blue flames in the Goblet erupted, shooting out a piece of parchment. 

“The Durmstrang Champion is Vikor Krum,” Dumbledore pronounced. An eruption of applause spread across the hall as Viktor stood up, smiling down at Vanessa, before making his way to the front. He shook Dumbledore’s hand, followed by Karkaroff’s, before heading off to the side door that led to the trophy room. 

The Goblet erupted again, shooting out another piece of parchment. 

“The Beauxbatons champion is Fleur Delacour.” More applause followed as the beautiful blonde that seemed to enamor all the male students stood up from the Ravenclaw table and walked to the front of the hall as Viktor had, shaking both Dumbledore and Madame Maxime’s hands, before taking off to the trophy room.

It was finally time for the Hogwarts champion. A silence fell around the room as the final piece of parchment flew from the Goblet. 

“The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory.” Vanessa was on her feet so fast, clapping and cheering along with the rest of the school. The applause for Cedric was louder than the other two champions. Cedric went up and shook Dumbledore’s hand and followed in the footsteps of the other two before disappearing through the door.

The headmaster was starting to wrap things up for the night when the Goblet erupted once more, shooting a fourth piece of parchment from its flames. Dumbledore grabbed it warily. All eyes were on the parchment in his hand. The champions had been chosen and no one understood what was happening. 

“Harry Potter,” Dumbledore spoke. The room was silent as all eyes fell to where Harry was sitting. Dumbledore called his name again as Hermione pushed Harry to get up. Harry walked down the aisle as students began to chatter throughout the hall. The headmaster had gestured for Harry to go through the door the three champions had entered. 

“The feast is over. Prefects, please escort the rest of your housemates back to your common rooms. Good night.” Dumbledore swept off to the trophy room, Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff trailing right behind him, as well as several professors. None of the students knew what had happened, but one thing was for sure, no one was surprised that Harry was at the center of it.


	5. Amortentia and Dragons

The next day it was announced that Harry Potter would be the second Hogwarts champion in the tournament. This had annoyed both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students and their headmistress and headmaster respectively. The Hogwarts student body wasn’t thrilled with the decision either, especially the Hufflepuffs, who believe Cedric was being looked over. However, it was in the rules, the contact was magically binding. There was nothing that could be done.

Vanessa was sitting down by the lake with Cedric, talking about the whole situation. He understood there was nothing to be done. While he was a little annoyed, he wasn’t making as big of a deal as the rest of the school. 

“I’ve been reading about the tournament in a book I picked up from the library. People have died in this tournament Cedric.” She reached out and grabbed her brother’s hand, looking up at him. “Please promise me you’ll be careful.” 

He took his hand from hers and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. “Ness, you’ve got nothing to worry about.” But even he couldn’t know what dangers were lying ahead. 

“You’re my brother and one of my best friends. If something happened to you, I don’t know what I would do.”

Cedric gave her a little squeeze. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We don’t know what the tasks are going to be yet. We’ll play this by ear.” 

“So what about you and Krum. You’ve both looked rather cozy during meals the last few days. Be careful with that one. You’ve read all those articles on all the women he’s been known to date.” 

“Yeah, well he happens to be a nice person. And honestly Cedric, I’ve only known him for a few days. I’m not going to be jumping into anything after a few days.” 

“Well now that I’m sure he knows you’re my sister, don’t start talking to him about the tournament.” 

“Shut up Ced. He remembered me from the Quidditch World Cup. Said he saw me sitting in the Minister’s box. But nothing is going on with us. We mainly talk about Quidditch and I’ve been showing him around the school.” 

“Well, I guess it’s my turn to tell you to be careful.” 

She rolled her eyes and stood up, smoothing out her uniform. “Shut up Ced.” Cedric stood up and hugged her. 

“You know I’m just looking out for you.” 

“I know, always the protective big brother. Now come on, let’s get to class.”

They walked back to the castle together, Vanessa heading to her potions class and Cedric to Defense Against the Dark Arts. 

Vanessa entered the potions classroom and took her seat between Fred and George. She always sat between them in any classes they had together when she could. While most students stuck to sitting with fellow students from their own house, Vanessa had always opted to sit with the twins, not caring what the rest of the class thought. 

The class grew quiet as Snape entered the room. Waving his wand, a cauldron appeared on each table, filled almost to the brim with a gold-colored potion. Vanessa knew what the potion was immediately. She leaned back, looking at the twins who both had funny looks on their faces.

Snape looked around the room, watching the curious expressions on his students' faces. 

“Miss Diggory, please tell the class what this potion is.” Snape had always called on her. She had been one of his favorite students to teach, not only because she was from his house, but also because she reminded him of himself in regards to her potion-making skills. 

She cleared her throat and began to speak. “It’s Amortentia. It’s the most powerful love potion in the world. It is distinctive for its mother-of-pearl sheen, and steam rises from the potion in spirals. Amortentia smells different to each person, according to what attracts them.”

“Ten points to Slytherin.” Snape bowed his head toward Vanessa, before turning back to the class. “Pair off into groups of three. After ten minutes the cauldrons in front of you will be wiped clean. Learn the potion. Once it disappears, your group will be tasked to make the potion from scratch. Be warned, the potion currently in front of you is not to be taken from this classroom today. Anyone found in possession of Amortentia outside of this classroom will have a one-way ticket to detention. Begin.” 

Vanessa took out her textbook and turned to the chapter on Amortentia. She knew she would have to brew the potion, as she was the best at it. While the twins were decent with potion making, they always had her take the lead as she was top in the class.

“I smell books, Earl Grey tea, and lavender,” said George.

“I smell new Quidditch robes, fresh grass, and broomsticks,” said Fred.

Vanessa remained silent for a moment. George had just listed off things that were distinct to herself. Her favorite tea, her love of reading, and the smell of her shampoo. 

“So Freddie, you must really like Quidditch. Or a certain player on your team,” she teased. “Angelina perhaps?”

“I guess so, I do fancy her a little,” he said, shrugging and smelling the potion again.

“What about you Nessa? What do you smell?” They spoke in unison, both looking at her. 

She shook her head. “I don’t smell anything.”

George leaned in close to her, his mouth right next to her ear. “Liar.” This sent a shiver down her spine. 

“Just tell us,” Fred said, leaning away from the potion. 

She sighed and put her book down. Looking down at the potion, she inhaled the fumes, an odd sensation taking over her. “I smell fireworks, mint and -” she didn’t want to say the last thing. 

“Go on,” they said together. 

“And now, please begin making your potions,” Snape bellowed from the front of the room. With another wave of his wand, the potion was gone.

Vanessa got to work making the potion, knowing the twins wouldn’t be much help. They both stared at her the entire time. 

Snape had started to walk around the classroom, glimpsing at everyone’s potions and criticizing and critiquing as he went along. When he reached their table, he looked down into the cauldron. “Another ten points to Slytherin Miss. Diggory.” She smiled slightly, not taking her eyes off of what she was doing. “Weasley, Weasley, five points from Gryffindor each. You can’t always rely on Miss Diggory to do the work for you.” 

He walked away, his robes billowing behind him. “Sure we can.” They spoke so low only Vanessa could hear them. 

When she finally finished the potion, it looked exactly the same as what Snape had provided earlier in the lesson.  _ The Burrow _ , she thought to herself. That was the other smell. But she wasn't going to tell the boys. She bottled up a sample of her potion and handed it in to Snape, who then dismissed the three of them, wiping the caldron clean once again.

As potions was their last class of the day, they had the rest of the afternoon free, which they had spent together. The twins kept asking her what else she smelled. She knew they were never going to leave it alone. And there was no way that she could admit that what she smelled proved that she had feelings for one of the boys standing next to her.

The rest of the day flew by and Saturday came before she knew it. Vanessa stood in her dorm, looking at herself in the mirror wondering what she was going to wear. She put on a pair of black jeans and a green jumper that she loved wearing during the fall. She paired the outfit with her favorite ankle-high black boots. She looked at herself in the mirror again, feeling happy with her decision. 

She headed up into the entrance hall where the twins had been waiting for her by the staircase. “Took you long enough. We’ve been waiting here for ten minutes,” Fred said. 

“Oh shut it. It’s cold outside and I couldn’t find my cozy sweater.” 

“Girls,” the twins said in unison, as the three of them started the walk to Hogsmeade. 

When they finally made it to the village, they stopped off at Honeydukes. Vanessa bought candy for the three of them, jokingly replacing the Chocolate Frog that she had taken from Fred on the train. Then they made their way to Zonko’s to pick up a few things. 

“Vanessa, shouldn’t you wait outside. We don’t want to be buying anything in front of a Prefect that might get us in trouble later.” 

“Shut up George.” She went and picked up some sugar quills and hiccough sweets. “Should we get some dung bombs for Filch? He loves dealing with those. I think I might get a nose-biting teacup for later too.” 

“And that is why you’re our best friend, always thinking ahead. But maybe it’s time we thought a bit bigger too,” Fred said. 

“I’m honestly scared to ask.” 

“As you should be Nessa,” said George. 

Once they purchased everything they wanted from Zonko’s, they made their final stop at the Three Broomsticks, where they all drank their fair share of Butterbeer. 

They finally left a couple of hours later, walking back to the castle together. When they finally reached the main entrance, she handed her stuff over to the twins. “Hold on to this for me. I’m going to go see Hagrid.” 

The twins nodded, and took her things back into the castle, while she made her way to Hagrid’s hut.

Wanting to become a Magizoologist, she had enjoyed spending time at Hagrid’s and learning all about the magical creatures he was currently teaching them about, or would be teaching them about. When she knocked on the door, Fang had dashed around from the other side of the cabin, almost knocking her over. She reached down and pet him, not worried that his slobber was getting all over her. Hagrid appeared a moment later. 

“Vanessa, what brings you out here today? I thought you would be in Hogsmeade.” 

“That ended early. I figured I would stop by and see if you had any new magical creatures you could show me.” 

Hagrid was beaming and looked like he wanted to tell her something. “Follow me, but stay quiet.” 

She looked at him curiously as he turned and walked towards the forest, Vanessa practically running to keep up with him.

He seemed to be leading her deeper into the forest than she had been before. And moments later she realized why. She heard loud noises and what sounded like fire. 

As they got closer, Hagrid moved to block her. “Stand behind this tree.” He pointed at a tree to the left of him, a huge redwood. She nodded her head and moved behind it, keeping out of sight. As soon as he moved, she gasped. 

“Dragons.” 

Someone was coming up to Hagrid, and Vanessa moved around the tree so they wouldn't be able to see her.

“Hagrid, come back to see them again? I should have known you wouldn't have been able to stay away.” 

She recognized that voice. 

“Actually,” Hagrid started, his voice guilt-ridden. 

“You didn’t bring Harry, did you? I could get in serious trouble if a student finds out.” 

Vanessa came out from behind the tree and smiled at Charlie. “I won’t tell if you don’t.” 

“Diggory,” Charlie said, walking over to hug her. “You really shouldn’t be here.” 

“Come on, you know how I feel about magical creatures.” She looked over his shoulders and a dragon who had just breathed fire again.

“I know. That’s why I've asked my boss to meet with you after the first challenge. I’ve told him all about you, so has Hagrid. He’s very interested in having you come to Romania as an intern this coming summer.” 

She looked between Charlie and Hagrid. “Really?” She was beaming with excitement. 

“Yes, but you’ll blow your chances if he finds out you’re here now. And don’t tell anyone you saw the dragons, or me.” 

She hugged him again. “Okay, I’ll go. And my lips are sealed.” She looked up at Hagrid. “Don’t worry about me, I know my way out.” 

Vanessa made it back to the castle, only to be bombarded by Hermione and Ginny in the courtyard. The three hadn’t spent much time together since being back at school, and they wanted to catch up. Though it didn’t last long.

“Don’t look now, your boyfriend is making his way over here.” Vanessa turned her head at Hermione’s words. Viktor was walking toward them.

He smiled at the three girls as he approached, his eyes finally falling on Vanessa. “I was wondering if you would join me on a walk, Vanessa?” 

She looked at the two girls next to her, both of whom were looking up at Viktor. “Of course. I’ll see you both later.” 

Vanessa was sure the two girls were talking about her and Krum as they walked off. 

While they had walked for a bit, they ended up sitting at a secluded spot along the lake, one Vanessa had spent much time at. They talked for hours, not paying attention to the time or the world around them. She had been curious about him, but he was an open book for her. He told her about his family, his schooling, hobbies, and anything else she had been interested in. She told him all about herself as well. 

They arrived back at the castle around dinner time. When they entered the Great Hall together, Vanessa heard bits of people’s conversations. They were talking about the pair of them. People had seen them go off together, though no one knew where. Nothing had happened between the two of them, so she simply ignored the glares she was receiving from Viktor’s fangirls, her brother’s friends, and a certain redhead at the Gryffindor table.


	6. Healing and Kisses

The students made their way out to where the first task was to be held. It reminded Vanessa of a Quidditch pitch, but bigger. The weather was getting colder. She tightened her scarf around her and walked with the twins to an empty bench. They waited with the rest of the students, everyone curious as to what the first task would be, but she knew. She had borrowed one of her brother’s Hufflepuff Quidditch jumpers, which was too big for her, but she didn’t care. She was there to support him.

The dragon tamers brought out the first of the four dragons, a Swedish Short-Snout. The dragon she would find out moments later, that her brother was to face. She watched the whole scene in horror, scared for her brother’s life. She gripped one of Fred and George’s hands, neither of them objecting. At one point she even buried her head in George’s chest, not wanting to see what was happening. But then a booming voice announced that Cedric had retrieved his egg. 

“Looks like pretty boy Ced just burnt his face a little,” Fred joked, earning a hard punch in the side from Vanessa. She had let go of their hands and was composing herself. The Common Welsh Green was being brought out, and it was Fleur’s turn against the dragon. She came out somewhat unscathed. Her skirt caught fire for a moment but was put out quickly. 

Next was the Chinese Fireball. It was Viktor’s turn. “Look Ness, it’s your boyfriend.” 

“Shut up George.” 

She watched as Viktor maneuvered around the dragon, finally hitting it with a curse that blinded it. He retrieved the egg but was docked points for the fact that the dragon had crushed her eggs, not being able to see. “The poor dragon.” 

The twins looked at her with wide eyes. “Poor dragon? These things almost killed your brother,” Fred said. 

She rolled her eyes and watched as the Hungarian Horntail was brought out last. They all watched in awe as Harry thought to summon his broom for the task. This helped him retrieve the egg so quickly that he tied with Viktor for first place, followed by Cedric and then Fleur. 

Students started to file out of the stadium, making their way back up to the castle. Vanessa had received a letter from Charlie the day before, telling her to meet him near the edge of the forest after the task. 

“Where are you going,” George asked when he saw her walking in the opposite direction. 

“To meet up with Charlie.” She said this as if it were no big deal. 

“Our brother Charlie?” 

“Yes, Fred. He’s here with the dragons.” 

“How do you know that?” 

“Hagrid.” She shrugged. Didn’t matter now if they knew. The task was over. “Charlie and Hagrid put in a word with Charlie's boss. I’ve got a possible summer internship in Romania.” 

They both looked at her with their mouths open. “Do you want to come with me?” 

They looked at each other then back at her. “Probably shouldn’t. Wouldn’t want to ruin your chances,” said Fred. 

“I’m sure you have a party in the tower to get to anyway. What with Harry winning.” She waved at them and walked off toward the forest. 

“I swear she gets better-looking everyday Freddie.” 

“You sure Charlie isn’t trying to get her alone?” 

George shrugged. “I don’t think he would do that to her. Not when he knows how much she wants to be a Magizoologist .” 

“She is right about one thing though.” 

“What’s that?” 

“We have a party to get to.” 

They smiled at each other and headed up towards the castle with the remaining students. 

As she got closer to the forest, Vanessa saw Charlie near one of the trees. She walked over to him and smiled. “So where is this boss of yours?” 

“He’ll be along in a second. He was trying to wrangle in the Horntail. What did you think of the contest?” 

“Well aside from my brother’s face getting burnt, it was exciting.” 

A tall, muscular man walked through the trees moments later. “Weasley, is this the girl?” 

“Yes, Harvey, meet Vanessa Diggory. Vanessa, this is Harvey Ridgebit. His great-great-grandfather was the Dragonologist who opened the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary I work at.

Harvey took her outstretched hand and shook it. She could feel the calluses on his hands. “Diggory. Are you related to the first boy that took on the Short-Snout?”

“Yes, he’s my brother,” she beamed. 

“Well, Charlie here tells me you want to be a Magizoologist and that you’re interested in studying dragons. And Hagrid has told me you’re very gifted when it comes to caring for magical creatures.” 

“Yes, it’s a passion of mine. I’ve helped Hagrid on several occasions with wounded animals he’s found in the forest. I’ve been told my healing skills are very advanced for my age.” 

Harvey looked at Charlie and then back down at me. “Think you could heal a dragon?” 

Her eyes widened. Had she heard him right? 

“The Fireball’s eyes are still messed up from that hex Krum put on her.” 

“Think you could handle it Diggory,” Charlie asked, looking at me curiously. 

“I can give it a try.” 

Harvey motioned for them to follow him into the forest clearing. They walked the same path Hagrid had taken her on previously. They reached the clearing a few minutes later, tamers at each of the cages, trying to sedate the dragons. 

One of the dragons had spit out fire, causing Vanessa to gasp. She had never been this close to an actual dragon before. 

“You got this Charlie? I’m going to go finish with the Horntail.” 

Charlie nodded. He took her hand unexpectedly and led her over to the cage. She stood several feet away, watching the dragon writhe in what she assumed was pain. She let go of Charlie’s hand and took out her wand, stepping closer to the dragon. The tamers who were previously helping the Chinese Fireball had all stepped back to watch her. Ever so gently, Vanessa outstretched her hand and put it gently on the snout of the dragon, and it seemed to calm the creature down. 

She looked back at Charlie momentarily, and he nodded at her. She turned back and waved her wand, wordlessly muttering an incantation she had learned in one of the library books. Several minutes had passed, as she continued to wave her wand, pointing it at the eyes of the dragon. And then, unexpectedly, the dragon’s eyes reopened, as if nothing had ever happened. It worked, it worked and she couldn’t believe it.

She hadn’t realized that all eyes were on her until she turned back around. Harvey was walking back over to her. “I’ve never seen someone heal a dragon as fast as you just did. Not to mention the way you calmed her down. Miss. Diggory, we would be honored to have you intern with us over the summer.” 

“Thank you so much, Harvey.” She shook his hand again, before walking back towards Charlie. He looked stunned. 

“I can’t believe you did that. You were amazing.” 

“Thank you, Charlie. I honestly didn’t think I would be able to help her. I’ve only ever healed small creatures.” 

“Well, we better get you back up to the castle. I’m sure my brothers will be wondering where you are.” 

She followed him back up the pathway. “I told them I was coming to meet you, and what you had done for me. I think they thought you had ulterior motives.” 

Charlie laughed. “They’re still mad at me for bumping into you at the Burrow over the summer.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “It was just an accident.” 

They had reached the edge of the forest and she turned to look at Charlie in the light of the day. She smiled at him, she was genuinely grateful for the opportunity she had just received. “Thanks again, Charlie.” She hugged him and started heading towards the castle. She would have to thank Hagrid later too.

She went to check on her brother, who she was told had gone to the hospital wing to be looked at for his burns. When she arrived, she saw Cho sitting next to him, and a few of his friends surrounding the bed. She pushed her way past a few of them, garnering looks of annoyance. 

“What were you saying about playing this by ear?” She looked down at Cedric, the sarcasm in her voice was evident.

“Hey I came out alright, didn’t I?” He looked over her shoulder and his friends. “You guys mind giving us a few minutes?” They nodded, some making comments about how I really didn’t care about Cedric, or how I should be checking on Krum instead. Cho had gotten up to leave as well, but I stopped her. 

“Please don’t leave on my account. I won’t be long.” The Ravenclaw smiled at her and took her seat once again, reaching out to hold Cedric’s hand. “I’ve got some great news.” Vanessa conjured up a chair and sat across from Cho. “I’m going to intern in Romania this summer at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary.” 

Cedric and Cho looked at her with wide eyes. “What?!” 

She smirked. “Do I need to say it again?” 

“Sis, dragons are no joke.” 

Vanessa recapped what had just happened in the forest. Cedric was still looking at her like she was a crazy person. “You know Mum isn’t going to let you do that.” 

“I’ll be seventeen over the summer, so she won’t have a say in the matter. Plus, it’s not like I'll be alone. Charlie will be there too.” 

“Well if it makes you happy Ness, then I’m happy for you. But enough about dragons. Who are you going with to the ball?” 

She looked down, playing with her hands that were resting in her lap. “No one has asked me yet.” 

“You’re joking? I would have thought you would have had multiple offers by now.” It was Cho who spoke this time. Vanessa and Cho had never really talked much. Occasionally when the three of them would hang out together sure, but other than that, not really. 

“It’s not a big deal. There’s still time left.” 

“What about Fred or George Weasley,” Cho asked. 

“As I said, I haven’t been asked.” 

“I’m sure it will happen soon. If not, you could always ask someone.” 

“Shut up Ced.” She leaned over and hugged him gently. “Feel better.” She looked over at Cho. “Make sure he doesn't do anything too crazy before the next task.” 

Vanessa went to her dormitory to change for dinner. She had been looking forward to telling Fred and George about her internship. When she arrived in the Great Hall, it was nearly empty. Most people must have eaten as soon as they returned from the first task. Thankfully the twins were still there, talking amongst themselves. She walked over to the table and smushed herself in between them. She filled the plate that had popped up in front of her and started eating and telling them everything that had happened and how she was offered the internship in the end.

“Well, looks like we’ll be taking a trip to Romania this summer, eh Fred?” 

“That’s exactly what I was thinking George.” 

She just smirked and finished her dinner. “I’m going to the library. There are a few books I want to borrow about dragons that I haven't read.” 

“I’m surprised there is a book in that library you haven’t read. You’re in there enough.” 

“You could come in there with me sometime you know.” 

“Books aren’t our thing,” said George.

She moved from in between them and took off towards the library. When she arrived, she noticed there were more people there than usual. Mostly girls. She looked over at what they were staring at and rolled her eyes. It was Viktor’s posse of fangirls. Vanessa walked past them and right up to the table he was sitting at. She heard the girls all whispering behind her. 

“I know a great spot in the back of the library - they won’t be able to bother you at.” He looked up from his book and smiled at Vanessa. She motioned towards the back and he stood up, grabbing his book and following her, the group of girls following at a distance. A few of them gasped. To them, it appeared Vanessa and Viktor had just vanished. 

“What did you do,” he asked curiously, looking back at the group who clearly couldn't see him anymore.

“Madam Pince set this up for me in my fourth year. I wanted a quiet place to come and study without distractions of friends or teammates, or anything like that.” She closed the door to the room and walked over to a table that was piled high with books. 

He looked at her in awe. He had never met anyone like her before. He set his book down on the table and listened intently as she proceeded to tell him all about her internship opportunity and how she healed a dragon. 

“I’ve never met anyone like you. You are so smart and beautiful. Will you go to the ball with me?” She wasn't expecting his question. She also wasn’t expecting him to grab her hand. 

She blushed, looking up at him. “Yes, I would love to go with you.” 

He pulled her into him, and closing the remaining distance between them, leaned down and kissed her. Her eyes fluttered shut. She had never done this before. Was she doing it right? She leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around him, as his arms snaked around her waist. 

They finally pulled apart after a minute or so, but it felt like a lifetime to Vanessa. She looked down at the ground, not wanting to look at Vikor. But he wanted to look at her. He put his hand under her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. 

“Why do you always try to hide?” 

She bit her lip, staring into his brown eyes. “That was my first kiss.” 

He just continued to look at her and smiled. “It was very good. I wouldn't mind doing it again if you want.” 

And so they did, for several hours. They had eventually moved to the couch she had in the room. She even moved on top of him at one point. But finally, they had pulled apart, both of them smiling at each other once more. 

It wasn’t until Vanessa looked out the window, that she realized how late it must be. She looked down at her watch that read eleven o’clock. 

“It’s past curfew. We should probably get going.” 

They both stood up from the couch. Vanessa adjusted the sweater she was wearing and fixed her hair. 

“You’re not going to get in trouble are you?” 

She shook her head. “I’m a Prefect, so no one will mind. Though Madam Pince might if she catches us in here so late.” 

He leaned down for one more kiss, before taking her hand and leading her out of the room. The library was empty, and it appeared Madam Pince had retired for the evening. Once they were out of the library, Vanessa took the lead and made her way down to the entrance hall using all the hidden corridors she had known of thanks to the twins and the Marauders Map. 

Thankfully the front door was still unlocked when they arrived. Viktor snuck in one last kiss before heading out the door and leaving towards the Durmstrang ship. She turned on her heel and headed down to the dungeons, thankful no one was around to see them. 


	7. The Yule Ball

A few weeks had passed since Vanessa had said yes to going to the Yule Ball with Viktor and they had shared their first kiss. Since then, the two had snuck off into her secret room in the library several times a week. Not wanting her grades to suffer, she did study, but she would also spend several hours making out with the Bulgarian Quidditch star as well. 

The only ones who knew of her date to the Ball were Ginny and Hermione. Just as she was the only one to know, Neville Longbottom asked Ginny, and Hermione had been asked by one of Viktor’s friends from Durmstrang. Vanessa had helped with that one. One thing was certain. None of the girls were going to tell the Weasley boys about it. 

Thanks to the twins, Vanessa had known that Ron had developed feelings for Hermione, though he had yet to man up and tell her. 

A few days later, Vanessa was sitting at the Gryffindor table during lunch with Fred and George. Harry and Ron were whining about not having dates to the ball yet. The twins told them they should just ask Hermione and Ginny before it was too late, at which Vanessa laughed. 

“What’s so funny,” Ron asked her. 

“You’ll be unsuccessful asking either of them. They’ve both got dates already.” 

Harry and Ron looked at each other, then back at her. “Who,” they asked in unison.

She shook her head. “I’m not telling you. But I will say this, next time you want to ask someone to a ball, don’t wait till the last minute.” 

Grabbing her book bag, Vanessa got up from her spot in between the twins. She was still smiling as she said goodbye, leaving the two fourth-year boys still had dumbstruck grins on their faces.

“Well she’s not wrong,” Fred said, as he finished up his lunch. 

“Yeah, who are you going with then?”

“Angelina. This one doesn’t have a date yet though,” he said, tilting his head toward George.

George looked at Fred, then over at Vanessa who had just walked out of the Great Hall. He grabbed his things and stood up, rushing out of the hall after her, leaving Fred, Harry, and Ron behind. 

“Vanessa!” 

The brunette turned around. She had just walked out of the castle and was headed down to the lake to read, when she heard someone calling her name. 

She turned around and saw George running toward her.

“Will you go to the ball with me?” he asked, trying to catch his breath. 

He looked down at her intently, seeing her cheeks turn a shade of pink. She bit her lip uncomfortably and looked up at him, almost getting lost in his eyes.

“I can’t,” she said softly. 

“Come on Nessa, don’t play around, just say yes.” 

“Someone’s already asked me, and I told them I would go with them.” 

“You’re lying.” 

She shook her head. “I’m not lying.” 

“Well, who is it then?” 

“That’s none of your business George Weasley. I’ll tell you the same thing I told your brother. Next time you want to ask someone to a ball, don’t wait till the last minute.” 

“I just assumed you would go with Fred or I, but he has a date already,” said George. 

“Oh right, because there isn’t a chance someone else might be interested in me. Not Vanessa. Not Quidditch playing, tomboyish Vanessa. Just because it took you so long to ask me.” She didn’t realize how loud she had started to get, but multiple people had started to stare at them. 

He just stared down at her, his jaw dropping. She had never raised her voice at him like that before, and he didn’t like it. When he didn’t respond to her, she turned and took off towards the lake. She didn’t want to be around him at the moment. She didn’t want to be around anyone. She was too upset. She headed to the secluded spot that she and Viktor had gone to on their walk and sat down against an oak tree. For the first time in a very long time, she cried.

Vanessa returned to the castle several hours later, her eyes red from all the crying she had done. But she didn’t bother covering it up. As she entered the Great Hall for dinner, several of her Slytherin housemates had asked if she was alright, but she just lied. She didn’t want anyone to know the truth. She didn’t want anyone to know that she had been crying over George. She didn’t want people knowing she had developed feelings for him.

She took her spot next to Viktor, and he immediately started asking her what was wrong. The two had kept whatever was going on between them to themselves, with the exception of Hermione and Ginny. But Vanessa knew she could trust the two girls.

Vanessa didn’t want the whole school to make a big deal about their relationship. She also didn’t want to deal with the criticism she knew she would get from her brother's friends. She knew all that would come once they attended the ball together.

“Nothing is wrong. I was just reading a book and it got me emotional.”

“You’re sure?” Viktor had spoken quietly and reached his hand under the table to squeeze Vanessa’s. 

She smiled up at him. “I promise.”

She finished up her dinner and grabbed her things. She told Viktor she would see him the next day, saying that she had been tired and just wanted to go to bed.

As she left the Great Hall she was greeted by Hermione and Ginny, both of whom had seen her crying and had concerned looks on their faces. She told them. She told them everything. From Harry and Ron wanting to ask them to the dance last minute, to her argument with George.

“I knew this was bound to happen,” Ginny said. “My brothers are prats. I mean what did he expect? For you to drop everything and go with him?” 

“And the nerve of Harry and Ron to wait till the last minute to ask us. And not even thinking of it themselves,” Hermione said. 

The older girl knew that both Hermione and Ginny would probably have preferred to go with Ron and Harry, not that either boy knew how they felt.

“Boys are gits. And speaking of-” Vanessa had seen Fred and George making their way towards the entrance hall. “I’m going to bed.” She said good night to the two of them. Before disappearing down the staircase to the Slytherin dormitory, she had heard the twins call after her, but Ginny had stopped them both, scolding them for being idiots. 

Vanessa spent the Saturday before the ball in an Apparition class that was put on by the Ministry. She would be seventeen in just a few months and wanted to be ready for her test when the time came. To no one’s surprise, she was the only one in the class to Apparate, which gained her praise from the professors and the instructor. 

She still hadn’t talked to the twins since she had yelled at George, not even when they were sitting right next to each other in classes. She had heard from Ginny that Fred was taking Angelina Johnson to the ball, while George was taking Alicia Spinnet. Part of her had hoped that maybe something would come from them going to the Yule Ball with the two Gryffindor Chasers. Angelina and Fred didn’t surprise her after he had told them what he smelled in his Amortentia. But George was different, part of her hoped nothing would develop between him and Alicia. Not that she should care, she had Viktor.

The day of the ball had finally arrived. Everyone was curious to see who was going to be showing up with who. Vanessa’s dorm mates were particularly curious about who she would be attending with after finding out she wasn’t going with either of her best friends. But she remained silent. 

She loved magic. She had never been one for makeup or doing her hair, but with a few waves of her wand, she had found the perfect look. Her makeup was subtle and soft, except for the smokey eye she had finally perfected. She styled her long hair in soft curls, that she pinned to the side to fall elegantly over her right shoulder. But it wasn’t until she put on the dress that her mother had gotten her that she felt something she had never felt before. 

Standing in front of her mirror, she looked at herself for a good while. The floor-length dress was all lace. It was a long-sleeved dress, the dark emerald green blending into black towards her waistline. Her shoulders were bare as the sleeves of the dress started on the upper part of her arm. She had never felt so beautiful before. 

She put on a set of silver and emerald earrings and a matching necklace her grandmother had gotten her when she had been sorted into Slytherin her first year. Not sure how much dancing she would be doing, and not being one for heels, she put on a pair of black flats. 

Vanessa looked once more in the mirror, happy with how everything turned out. She went to her trunk and pulled out the small vial her mother had given her over the summer. Would she need it tonight? She and Viktor had grown close since his arrival at the school and had been spending so much time together. She wasn’t sure where his head was at though. 

Shrugging her shoulders, she took the stopper out and drank the potion. Her mother said it would last a whole year, so even if nothing happened tonight, she would be prepared if something happened later on. 

The common room was mostly empty when she walked through. There were a few underclassmen who weren’t able to attend the dance scattered throughout the room, but most of the older students had already left. She walked up the stairs, all of a sudden feeling very nervous. She opened the door to the entrance hall and suddenly it felt like all eyes were on her. 

“Vanessa, is that you?” It was her brother. He had been standing off to the side with Cho, waiting for instructions from McGonagall.

She smiled and walked over to him. He still looked stunned. “It’s me.” 

“You look beautiful Nessa,” Cedric said. “Who are you going with?” 

“That would be me.” A thick Bulgarian accent sounded behind her. She turned around and looked up at Viktor. He was wearing red dress robes with a fur lining. “You look beautiful.” He took her hand and kissed it, as he had so many times before. 

“Champions, please line up with your partners. Miss Delacour, you’ll be entering first with Mr. Davies. Mr. Diggory, you’ll be next with Miss Chang. Then Mr. Krum and Miss Diggory, followed by Mr. Potter and Miss Patil. Once inside you’ll take your seats at the main table with Professor Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, and Professor Karkaroff. When the feast is concluded, you will make your way to the dance floor for the champion's dance. After that, you will be free to enjoy the rest of the evening.” 

Music had started playing on the other side of the doors, signaling it was time for the champions to enter. As soon as the doors opened, they made their way into the hall in the order Professor McGonagall had instructed them. The crowd around them cheered as they made their way toward the main table. That was when she saw him looking at her with a stunned expression on his face. It made her blush. 

“Is that Vanessa with Viktor Krum,” Alicia asked curiously. 

“Looks like it. She looks beautiful,” Angelina said next to her. 

Fred looked over at George, who he could tell was not happy by this revelation. 

Once at the main table, Viktor had held her chair out for her. She had been seated next to her brother. He immediately leaned over to her. “You and Krum?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but we’ve been seeing each other since after the first task. Well, seeing might be the wrong word. We aren’t dating or anything. But I enjoy his company. Just be happy for me, okay?” 

“I am happy for you Ness. I honestly thought it would be one of the twins.” 

“Well, it’s not. And thank you, for the compliment earlier. You look very dashing yourself.” 

He smiled down at his sister before turning back to Cho. Vanessa picked up the menu on her plate and, like the rest of the table, spoke her order at her plate, food appearing moments later.

She had Viktor conversed as they ate, his compliments seemed never-ending. Professor Karkaroff, who had been sitting next to Viktor, also struck up a conversation with Vanessa. She had an odd feeling about the headmaster, but politely answered the questions he had been asking. 

The time came for dancing, something else Vanessa had never done. Viktor led her to the dance floor, and as soon as the music started, led her in a waltz along with the rest of the champions. She felt safe in his arms. Once the song ended, The Weird Sisters took the stage. They were her favorite band. 

She and Viktor danced the night away. When another slow song started, her brother had asked her for a dance, which she obliged, though Viktor didn’t want to let her go. But she was back in his arms once the next song started. Everything was perfect. She had gotten multiple compliments on her dress from her classmates, as well as Ginny and Hermione. 

When Viktor had left her to grab them some Butterbeer, she went to sit down at an empty table. She wasn’t alone long though. “You came with Krum? He’s your brother’s competition in the tournament.” 

It was only a matter of time before they approached her. They took a seat next to her at the table.

“Yeah, it’s like you're fraternizing with the enemy.” 

She rolled her eyes. “How dare either of you say that.” 

“Well, it’s true. How does Cedric feel about you going out with that oaf?” 

“It’s really none of your business Fred. But unlike you, Cedric doesn’t mind. He’s actually happy for me.” 

“How long has it been going on?” 

She looked at George this time. “What are you talking about?” 

“You and Krum, how long have you two been together.” 

Vanessa stood up from her chair, looking down at both of them. She looked down at the mark on her wrist before flashing it at the both of them. 

“Is this what you two are worried about? Want to make sure I haven’t slept with him? Well, what I do and who I do it with is none of your concern. So why don’t you both go back to your dates and worry about them.”

“Come on Vanessa.” 

“No George. Just because you’re mad I didn’t say yes to you, doesn’t mean you can come over here and act like a prat. And Fred, well I’m not sure why you’re upset when you’re here with who you want to be with. Viktor has been the perfect gentleman and I’m glad I came with him.” 

“He’s just using you to get information on your brother.” 

“Shut your mouth, George Weasley! I would have gladly gone with you if you would have asked me sooner. I was honestly hoping you would, but you didn’t.” She knew what she had said, and she didn’t regret it. She had hoped he would ask as soon as they found out about the ball, but then everything started with Viktor. 

“Stop smiling, you prats. This isn’t funny.” 

“Is everything alright here.” Viktor had returned and was standing behind her. The twins both stood from their chairs, glaring at the Bulgarian. 

“We happen to be having a conversation with our friend, so you can just wait,” said Fred.

“No, I think we’re done here.” Vanessa turned around and took her butterbeer from Viktor. Instead of heading back out onto the dance floor, she took his hand and led him out of the castle. The grounds had been enchanted to look like a magical garden, and she thought it would be the perfect place to escape for a bit. 

They walked down the pathway, seeing couples running off behind bushes to be alone. She sipped on her butterbeer, the cold air hitting her shoulders, but not bothering her. She found a secluded area with a bench, and they both sat down. 

“Your friends weren’t being very nice to you, were they?” 

“Let’s not talk about that.” She set her butterbeer down and grabbed his hand. “Thank you for taking me tonight. I’ve had a wonderful time.” 

He pulled her closer to him, wrapping an arm around her. “It was my pleasure.” Closing the space between them, he leaned in and kissed her. Not her lips as he normally did, but her neck. This caused a moan to escape her lips. 

She was feeling something, something that Viktor had brought out in her the night they first kissed in the library. 

His lips moved from her neck and down to her bare shoulder. A shiver ran down her spine. His kisses were driving her mad. She reached her hand under his chin and brought her lips to his. She kissed him fiercely, almost hungrily, until he pulled away. 

“I care about you very much. You’ve made me feel like no other woman has before. But I want to be honest with you.” 

She looked into his eyes. Was he turning her down? For a moment she was ready to give herself to him completely, but he was going to turn her down. She let go of him and stood up from the bench. “You don’t need to explain. I should have known. You could have any girl you want. Why would you want someone like me?” 

He stood up and grabbed her hand. “That’s not what I’m saying. Well, not really.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I’m only here till the end of the tournament. Then I’ll be going back to Bulgaria to play Quidditch. I want to spend as much time with you as I can before I leave. But I don’t want you giving this up,” he rubbed his thumb over her birthmark. “When I can’t promise you what I would want to.” 

“I figured you’ve been with hundreds of women. That’s what all the magazines and papers have said.” 

This made Viktor laugh. “All lies. I’m only eighteen after all. Unlike the stories, I don’t just jump into bed with someone. You’re the first girl who has treated me like a normal person, not like a celebrity. That’s why I fell for you. I didn’t mean to, but I did. I’m not sorry about it. But knowing I won’t be here past the summer, knowing I won’t see you every day, I don’t want to take something from you that you’ll never get back, not when I know we can’t be more than we are right now.” 

Vanessa was shocked by his honesty but also understood. There weren’t many men like Viktor Krum in the world. “But we can still enjoy our time together before you leave?” 

“Of course. And I’m hoping you’ll visit me while you’re in Romania this summer. Maybe even come to a game or two?” 

“It would be my honor, Mr. Krum.” 

He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, before pulling away again. “Should we go back to the ball?” 

“I think I have a few more dances left in me.” 

The pair made their way back to the castle, walking hand in hand with one another, completely unaware that their whole conversation had been overheard by the pair of twins she had gone outside to get away from.


	8. The Second Task

Vanessa and Viktor were one of the last couples to leave the ball that night. The rumors of the two of them started swirling around the school the next day. The Hufflepuffs were calling her a traitor, thinking she shouldn’t be spending time with her brother’s competition. Everyone else just figured she had slept with the Quidditch star in hopes of furthering her Quidditch career. 

Even Rita Skeeter had written an article about it in the Daily Prophet, saying that Vanessa enjoyed the fame and that she was informing Viktor of her brother’s plans for the rest of the tournament. She knew none of it was true though, and so did the people that mattered most to her.

She just let it all roll off her back. She had passed a group of her brother’s friends on her way to one of her classes several days later, only for Cedric to swoop in and start yelling at his so-called friends for talking to his sister the way they were. A few comments got on her nerves so much that she found herself silently hexing and jinxing the perpetrators as she walked past them.

As the second task was quickly approaching, she helped her brother to figure out his egg. She was the one who figured out that he should try opening it underwater. Once he had done that, it took him no time at all to realize that the task would be held at the Black Lake. 

Before the second task though, Vanessa had a task of her own to overcome. She had awoken on Valentine’s Day to see two separate parcels had been left on her nightstand sometime in the night. 

“Are those from Viktor?” One of her dorm mates, Sophia, had asked. 

Vanesa shrugged her shoulders, leaning over and grabbing one of the boxes. She opened it to find multiple boxes of chocolate frogs and a note from George. 

_Nessa, I’m sorry for everything that happened at the Yule Ball. I miss you. I know these Chocolate Frogs probably won’t make up for anything, but I hope you enjoy them nonetheless. - George._

She smiled and set the note and the box aside. She hadn’t talked to the twins much since the night of the ball, avoiding them as much as she could, except during the classes they shared together. Hermione had told her that Ginny had given them both a talking to. 

Picking up the next package, she noticed it was slightly heavier than the first one. This one had a tag around the bow. 

_I look forward to our date today. - Viktor_

Vanessa smiled and opened the box. It was a bottle of her favorite perfume. She hadn’t remembered telling him about it and figured he must have asked Hermione or Ginny. 

“That man has good taste,” Sophia said. “ Where are you two going tonight?” 

“We were just going to go into Hogsmeade and have dinner at the Three Broomsticks. Not much else we can do.” 

“What about Madam Puddifoot’s,” Sophia asked. 

Vanessa scrunched her nose. “I’m not a fan of that place. Too much pink.” 

She got up from her bed and decided to get ready. All classes had been canceled so she didn’t have much planned until later that evening. She was going to meet Viktor in the entrance hall later that evening to walk to the village together. 

While they had both concluded that nothing sexual would be happening between the two of them, that didn’t mean they were keeping their hands, or lips, off of one another. It had almost brought them closer in a way.

She headed out of the dungeons and made her way upstairs to the library. Vanessa had been studying up on dragons and learning different spells and potions she figured she could use when she went to Romania. With most of the library practically empty, she took a seat at an open table, as opposed to using her private room. 

The weekend before, Vanessa had concluded her Apparition lessons, as the instructor told her she was one of the most advanced students he had ever seen. She was glad that was one less thing on her plate that day. 

It wasn’t a surprise. Vanessa was advanced for her age. She had been told so since her first year. Her professors had told her that she could move up a year, but she never wanted to. 

Vanessa was also able to do wandless magic, something very few witches or wizards could do. But the only people who had known about this were her family, close friends, and Professors Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore. She wanted to keep it quiet, not wanting to be used for this ability.

Turning the page to her book, she felt the chair next to her move and someone sit down beside her. Looking up from her book, she turned to see Fred smirking at her. 

“What do you want?” She turned back to her book a moment later. 

“You’re still mad at us?” 

“What do you want me to say, Fred? You guys upset me at the ball.”

“Did you mean what you said though?”

She looked at him questioningly.

“About saying you would have gone with George?” 

She closed her book and put all her focus on the redhead sitting next to her. “Yes, I meant it. I wanted him to ask me.” She closed her book and turned to face him. “The Burrow, that was the other thing I smelled in the Amortentia.” 

He smiled at her, but she continued before he could speak. “I figured you would have caught on after the firework bit, but you didn’t. It’s because when I arrived at the Burrow this summer, you had told me you had been working on fireworks days before I got there. Your room still smelled like it. Mint, because he always seems to smell like it, and he tends to eat minty candies. And the Burrow, well that’s the first place I met you both and the place I realized I had feelings for George. No offense Freddie.” 

“I’m with Angelina, so I’m fine with it. Why don’t you just tell him how you feel?” He reached out and gave her hand a soft squeeze. 

“Maybe it’s all a sign.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“That we’re growing older and changing. So many people told me it was bound to happen, being friends with boys. I just never believed them.” 

Fred couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Where’s George?” 

“He was getting an earful from McGonagall when I left him. Talking about how he needs to take his Apparition lessons seriously or he’s going to hurt himself. She would have yelled at me too, but I got out of there right away.” His words made her smile.

“You can tell George all this if you want.” She stood up from her seat and grabbed the book she had been reading. “I’ve got to go get ready for dinner.” 

Fred stood up as well, looking down at her. “I think it might be best if you tell him yourself, Nessa. I think you both have things you need to tell each other. And don’t have too much fun with Krum.” 

“We’re just getting dinner.” 

“I’m serious though, talk to George.” 

He left her standing there. She picked up the book she was reading and returned it to the shelf, before heading back to her dormitory to get ready. It was still chilly outside, so she opted for a cute baggy sweater and leggings for the evening. She put on makeup again, but it was nothing crazy. Her hair had been pulled back into a low ponytail with subtle curls at the ends. 

As promised, Viktor met her in the entrance hall, beaming at her as she approached him. They talked the whole way to the village. He told her he had finally solved the egg, but she didn’t give off any sign that she already knew what the task might be. 

Madam Rosemerta had the Three Broomsticks set up beautifully for the night. Flowers were the centerpiece of each table and she had enchanted lights strung up throughout the ceiling. She and Viktor sat in a secluded corner of the pub, thankful that Madam Rosemerta was able to accommodate them. They ate and had too much butterbeer that night. 

“I forgot to thank you for my gifts today. Ginny must have told you that was my favorite perfume.” 

“Actually it wasn’t. It was the twins. I couldn’t find their sister, so I asked them if they knew.” 

She looked at him, her eyes wide. “You’re joking?” 

Viktor looked at her curiously. “No. I asked them a few weeks after the ball. They seemed more than happy to tell me.” 

Vanessa sat in silence for a moment. She wasn’t sure what the twins were playing at. A moment later, Madam Rosemerta stopped by their table to drop off their bowl of ice cream they had ordered. They didn’t talk about the twins for the rest of the evening. They arrived back at the castle about an hour later, Viktor walking her into the entrance hall, before kissing her goodnight. 

A week later, it was time for the second task in the Triwizard Tournament. The night before, Vanessa had been called to Professor McGonagall’s office. There she found Ron and a small blonde girl she did not recognize. McGonagall gestured for her to take a seat between the two. She seemed to be waiting for someone. Vanessa looked at the girl next to her. She looked scared to be there.

“You must be Fleur’s sister.” The girl nodded at her. “My name is Vanessa. I’m Cedric’s sister.” 

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Gabrielle.” Her accent was thick just like Fleur’s. 

“I’m sure you’re all wondering why you were called here.” Ludo Bagman had just walked into the room, Percy Weasley on his heels. 

“Well, tomorrow’s task will take place in the Black Lake. The four champions will be asked to retrieve something that was stolen from each of them. That’s why you three are here.” He walked to stand in front of McGonagall’s desk. “Each one of you is close to our champions. You’re the person they would miss the most. “Mr. Weasley to Harry Potter and young Miss Delacour, to her sister Fleur.” He turned and looked at Vanessa. “You Miss Diggory, well it turns out both your brother and Mr. Krum would miss you the most.” 

She blushed a shade of red, as he continued. “As they both can’t rescue you, you have a choice to make. Your brother or Mr. Krum?” 

“My brother of course. But what about Viktor? What does that mean for him?” 

“Don’t you worry about that Miss Diggory.” Bagman turned to Professor McGonagall and nodded his head. 

“This spell will make you all fall asleep. You won’t awake until you are rescued from the bottom of the Black Lake tomorrow.” 

Gabrielle let out a scream and reached out to grab Vanessa’s hand. Ron and Vanessa looked at each other in shock. But before anyone could say anything else, everything went black. 

The next thing Vanessa remembered was hitting the surface of the Black Lake, her brother’s arms wrapped around her as he pulled her towards the shore. When they both made it, the twins appeared out of nowhere, wrapping her in a warm blanket. She turned back to the lake to watch what was happening.

Viktor came next, carrying a beautiful blonde girl. Then Harry emerged, not only with Ron but with Gabrielle as well, much to Fleur’s relief. 

“Are you okay Nessa?” Fred and George asked, standing beside her and trying to warm her up.

“Yeah, I’m great. I just spent who knows how long at the bottom of the Black Lake, but yes, I’ve never been better.” She had missed bickering with the two of them.

“Well Freddie, she’s still got her spunk.” 

Vanessa moved from between the twins for a moment, so she could be next to her brother when the scores were announced. 

Cedric had come in first place, Harry in second much to the dismay of Viktor who had come in third. Fleur had come in last place. 

Vanessa saw Fleur give Harry and Ron a kiss on their cheeks, thanking them for saving her sister. She walked over to Vanessa next. 

“My sister said you were kind to her last night when you were all taken. Your brother has always spoken very highly of you. Thank you for your kindness, Vanessa.” She hugged Vanessa for a moment, before stepping aside for Gabrielle to hug her as well. 

Viktor came to her next, the blonde girl trailing behind him. “Vanessa, this is my cousin and best friend Nikol. Nikol, this is Vanessa Diggory. The girl I’ve been writing about.” 

She reached out and shook the girl’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Nikol. I wish it was under better circumstances.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too Vanessa.” Her accent was thick like Viktor’s. “He seems so much happier than I’ve seen him in a long time.” 

Vanessa blushed as Viktor smiled at her. The pair walked back towards the Durmstrang students and she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. 

It was Cedric. 

Vanessa turned and hugged him. “You saved me again Ced.” 

“I’m your big brother. I’ll always be there to save you. Just like I did when you were a little girl and would fall off your broom.” 

Cho was running up to them and flung herself at Cedric. Vanessa pulled herself away and made her way back to the two boys who were still standing nearby. She waved a quick-drying spell on herself before turning to look at the pair of them.

“You two want to walk up to the castle with me?” 

They nodded enthusiastically, before taking off back up the pathway to the castle. The whole time they talked about how worried they had been as soon as they saw her emerge from the lake, talking about how Dumbledore shouldn’t have allowed it. 

She kept assuring the two that she was really fine, cold, but fine. At that point, they had both offered her their jackets and she took George’s. When they finally made it back to the castle a few minutes later and were in the warmth of the entrance hall, she handed the jacket back to him. 

“I never thanked you for your Valentine’s gift. You didn’t have to do that.” 

“We’ve always given you a Valentine though. Ever since we were little,” George said. “But since Freddie has Angelina now, I just sent my own.” 

“And Viktor told me you two were the ones who told him about my perfume. What’s that about?” 

Fred and George looked at each other, their toned arms folded across their chests. “Just trying to help Vicky out,” Fred laughed. 

Vanessa smacked him. “Be nice.” 

“We’re always nice,” they said in unison. 

She rolled her eyes and pushed them both towards the Great Hall. “Come on, I’m hungry.” 

The three of them sat at the Gryffindor table. She was sure she looked a mess after being submerged underwater, but she didn’t care. She wanted to spend time with her friends, to catch up on all the things she had missed.


	9. Never Be The Same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a warning, there will be self-harm in this chapter.

Vanessa, Fred, and George had made up after the second task. She had found out that Fred hadn’t told George about her feelings. She didn’t want to spend any more time apart from them and thought it was best to keep her feelings between the two of them. On April 1st, she had a cake made for their seventeenth birthday, a cake that splattered them in green goo when they cut into it. 

She was also spending more time with her brother, figuring out what his third and final task would be. She spent meals with Viktor as well, not wanting to lose out on their remaining time together. The time between tasks also saw a friendship develop between her and Fleur. She was still so grateful to her, for the kindness Vanessa had shown her sister before the second task.

The Beauxbatons champion also helped Vanessa realize something that she hadn’t about herself. The few times they had spent talking and getting to know each other, Fleur quickly realized that Vanessa was very hard on herself, and aside from the ball, never really felt confident. But Fleur helped her realize otherwise. Granted, most of this was because the blonde would force her to stand in front of a mirror and list off the things she liked about herself. But it was a welcome change. 

Hermione and Ginny didn’t like her new friendship, but considering the two were younger than her, they came to terms with the fact that she would eventually want some girlfriends her age. Vanessa told them that no one would ever replace them though, making both girls very happy. 

Time flew by. Vanessa turned seventeen on June 13th. She took and passed her Apparition test the Saturday after her birthday and spent that evening at the Three Broomsticks with her brother, the twins, Viktor, Fleur, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Harry to celebrate. It was a perfect way to end a wonderful week. 

The night before the last task, Professor Snape had come to retrieve Vanessa from the library, telling her that she was to go to the trophy room in the Great Hall. She arrived in the Hall during dinner time and made her way to the room, just beyond the door of the staff table. 

She was immediately greeted by her mother, who hugged her tightly. “Vanessa, your brother has just been telling us of the second task. I can’t believe you didn’t write to me to tell me.” She ushered her over to where her father was standing with Cedric. 

“Hello dad,” she said, giving him a hug, which he half-heartedly gave back, before turning back to talk to Cedric. Her brother unexpectedly turned on their father, rather annoyed. 

“You need to stop treating her like a second class citizen. She’s your daughter.” 

“Ced, now is not the time to talk about this.” The other champions and their families had looked over at the Diggorys. Vanessa noticed Molly and Bill Weasley had come to be there for Harry. 

Cedric leaned down and lowered his voice. “I’m tired of you treating her the way you do. Every time we’re all together, you act like she’s a piece of garbage. She’s your flesh and blood.” 

“Don’t worry about it, Ced. He’s never going to change,” Vanessa said. Viktor had waved Vanessa over to him, and she walked away from her family, not wanting to be around her father. 

Viktor put his arm around her and introduced him proudly to his parents, his mother even going so far as to hug Vanessa. “Our son has told us much about you, Miss Diggory. You are every bit as beautiful as he mentioned in his letters.

Her cheeks turned a shade of red. He had talked about her to his parents too? It was flattering. As she spoke to his parents, her father came over to them, grabbing her roughly by the arm. “Come back to your brother now. You have no business talking to these people.” He pulled her back to his wife and son, his arm still roughly gripping her. 

“Amos, let her go now,” her mother said, her tone angry and cold.

All eyes on the room were back on the Diggory family. Cedric and Mrs. Diggory looked furious. 

“I refuse to have my daughter whoring around. It’s bad enough Cedric had to share the mantle of champion with Potter. My daughter won’t be sleeping around with his competition as well.” 

Cedric pushed his father, his hand finally leaving Vanessa’s arm. She looked down at the handprint on her arm and then at her brother. She was shaking. She couldn’t believe what he had just done. Mrs. Weasley came up to them, standing next to Mrs. Diggory and laying a hand on Vanessa’s shoulder. 

“What the bloody hell are you looking at Weasley? I see you’re here to support that false champion.” 

Bill was at his mother’s side a moment later, looking furious. “Don’t you dare speak to my mother like that.” 

The Delacours and Krums had come over to see what had been going on, all of them looking disgusted at how Amos had talked to his daughter. 

“Amos, I think you should leave.” It was her mother who had spoken, her voice shaking. 

“No, I am here for my son. I’m not leaving.” 

A sinister voice spoke from the corner of the room. “Mr. Diggory, I agree with your wife. It is time for you to leave. Please do not bother coming back tomorrow.” 

Everyone in the room turned around, seeing Snape standing there. Harry looked stunned that the man who was normally so cruel would step up for someone the way he was.

Mr. Diggory started to speak, but Snape put up his hand. “Mr. Diggory, you’ll come with me now, or I’ll be getting the Headmaster.” 

Amos looked at his wife and son before staring daggers at Vanessa. “You are no daughter of mine, you whore.” 

She snapped. Amos was sent flying across the room where he was slammed hard against the wall. He fell to the floor in a heap. Everyone in the room was looking at her now. 

She heard Fleur and Viktor’s parents speak of magic they had never seen before. Molly and Bill looked at her like she was a completely different person than the one they had known all these years. Snape looked at her with what seemed like pride. Harry, Fleur, and Viktor just stood there looking at her in shock. 

Her mother was crying. Mrs. Weasley had a comforting arm around her. Cedric moved to his sister and held her in his arms. “I’m sorry Ness. I never expected him to do something like that, to say what he said to you. I’ll never forgive him.” She felt tears rolling down her cheeks, not realizing she had even started to cry. 

Dumbledore had entered the room, surveying the scene around him. Snape had told the headmaster what happened. The Headmaster and Snape walked over to the heap that was Amos Diggory and awoke him, Snape dragging him out of the room moments later.

The Headmaster turned to the families. “I am sorry to all of you for having to witness that. Please feel free to join the feast in the Great Hall.” He swept through the door without another word. The Delacours and Krums followed him, Viktor looking over his shoulder at Vanessa as he went. 

Bill and Harry followed, but Mrs. Weasley remained, holding on tight to her friend. 

“We should get to the Great Hall,” Mrs. Diggory spoke after several minutes of crying. “Tonight is about Cedric, not about Amos.” 

Mrs. Weasley took out her wand and waved it in Mrs. Diggory’s face. She hadn’t looked like she had been crying. “Come on dear; we’ll walk out together.” 

Cedric looked back down at Vanessa, wiping the tears from her cheek. “‘I’m so sorry. I knew it was bad, but I never knew it was that bad. I figured things were better after the Quidditch World Cup this summer, but I was wrong.” 

She hugged her brother tighter. If you asked anyone, Vanessa would tell you that Cedric has been more of a father figure to her, even though he was less than a year older than her. “I love you Ced.” 

“I love you too Ness.” 

The pair walked out of the trophy room and into the Great Hall. It appeared most of the school had heard the commotion from the other side of the door. Vanessa had started to walk towards the Slytherin table, but her brother took her hand and pulled her toward the Hufflepuff table. “Champions families sit with them tonight,” Cedric said, sitting between Vanessa and their mother. 

They ate in silence, as rumors about what had happened in the trophy room circulated the Great Hall. Most of the school had seen Mr. Diggory being escorted out of the castle, leading to so much speculation as to what happened. 

“I need to get out of here.” She looked over at her brother and mother, both of whom understood. She leaned over to hug Cedric, before standing up and moving to kiss her mother on the cheek. She walked quickly out of the Great Hall and out of the castle, heading down to the Black Lake. 

Unbeknownst to anyone, Vanessa had dealt with depression from a very young age. While her mother tried to help her with various potions, it had never helped. The constant hate she would receive from her father drove her over the edge. He made her feel worthless, and after tonight, she felt that more than ever.

Fred and George both watched her leave. “Mum, I’m sorry, but we need to go,” said George. They had been told of the horrible things Mr. Diggory had said to her and were livid. 

Before their mother could protest, they were headed out of the Great Hall after Vanessa. She was already so far ahead of them. They looked around, unsure where she was heading before seeing her take off towards the Black Lake. As they proceeded to watch her, they realized she wasn’t heading to her usual spot along the lake; no, she was heading into the lake itself. 

They watched as she slowly walked into the depths of the lake and disappeared beneath the surface. She wasn’t coming up. Both boys ran to the edge of the lake and kicked off their shoes, and threw their shirts on the grass as they went into the lake after her. 

It was George who emerged moments later, their best friend lifeless in his arms. “Fred, get to the castle now. She’s not breathing.” He placed her down on the grass and looked down at her. “Come on Ness, not like this. I can’t lose you before I’ve even had the chance to tell you I love you.” 

Fred came out of the water behind him, grabbing his shirt from the grass and running as fast as he could up to the castle. He returned several minutes later with McGonagall, Snape, and Madam Pomfrey. Beyond them, Cedric, Mrs. Diggory, Mrs. Weasley, and Bill were running towards them.

Snape knelt down next to her and took out his wand, silently muttering incantations. 

“Poppy, go get a bed ready for her,” McGonagall said. 

Fred leaned down next to George, who was still clutching her hand like his life depended on it.

“What the hell happened?” Cedric asked, looking over at the twins with fury in his eyes. 

“We saw her walking into the lake when we came out after her. But she didn’t come out,” George said, tears pouring down his face. 

“We went in after her. George got to her first. She wasn’t breathing,” Fred finished before looking at Snape. “Professor, please tell us she’s going to be okay.” 

Snape finished his incantations and looked up at the group around them. “She’ll be fine. Miss Diggory is nothing if not resilient. She’ll need to spend the night in the hospital wing.” 

Mrs. Diggory was crying again, Cedric holding her in his arms. Snape went to pick Vanessa up, but George had beaten him to it. “I’ll carry her.” 

Snape nodded, standing from his spot and leading the twins back into the castle, followed by Cedric and Mrs. Diggory. Mrs. Weasley and Bill made their way back to the rest of their family to inform them of what had happened. Ginny then informed Viktor, who was ready to go to the hospital wing, until Ginny told him that it was best if he waited until the morning. 

Vanessa woke in the middle of the night, feeling a heavy weight upon her chest, causing her to panic and scream out. She sat bolt upright, looking around. “Where am I?” she asked breathlessly. 

A familiar hand squeezed hers as she found George sitting next to her, his eyes red. To her left, another hand grabbed hers. It was her mother. 

“Oh, thank goodness you’re awake.” Her mother was on her feet, wrapping her daughter in her arms and kissing the top of her head. “I was so worried.” 

“What happened?” 

“You tried to drown yourself in the lake.” Fred had spoken up. He was sitting next to George. 

She looked at him, and then his brother, who nodded his head. 

“Thankfully, these two ran after you and saved you.” Cedric had moved from the seat next to his mother to sit on the edge of her bed.

“Well, I can only take credit for the running after you part. George was the one who grabbed you and pulled you out.” 

She squeezed George’s hand, silently thanking him. “I’m sorry Ced. You shouldn’t be here right now. You should be sleeping. Tomorrow is a big day.” 

“You’re my sister, and you mean more to me than this tournament. I’m going to kill Dad next time I see him though.” 

“Cedric, go to bed now. I’ll be fine. And don’t go killing anyone. You should get some sleep too Mum. Are you staying in the village?” 

“No, Professor McGonagall set up a room for me next to her office. But I want to stay with you.” 

Madam Pomfrey had come out of her room and walked over to the bed. “Actually, Miss Diggory really should be left alone. I have more potions that I need to administer. She needs her rest if she wants to attempt to attend the third task tomorrow.” 

Cedric held his arm out for her mother, and the two took off. Madam Pomfrey then turned to the twins. George’s hand hadn’t left her’s the entire time she had been in the hospital wing. “I know you two don’t want to leave, but I must insist.” They both leaned down and kissed her cheek before taking off. 

Madam Pomfrey proceeded to administer the potions and asked the young Slytherin if she needed to worry about her causing any further harm to herself. When Vanessa assured her that she was fine, she drifted off back to sleep, ready to forget the past day ever happened. 

She awoke the next morning, Madam Pomfrey attending to her right away. “Your mother and brother have been to see you this morning. I had only allowed them in. Mrs. Weasley, and three of her sons, her daughter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Krum were also trying to see you. Mr. Krum and the twins are still waiting outside.” 

“Can they come in?” 

“That will be fine. But only three visitors at a time. Besides, an hour after you take this last potion, you’ll be free to leave.” 

Vanessa nodded as the matron went to let Viktor, Fred, and George in. The twins didn’t look like they had slept at all. 

Madam Pomfrey conjured chairs for the three of them around her bed, and they took their seats. 

“How are you, Vanessa?” Viktor had spoken before either of the twins, leaving them both looking annoyed. 

“I’m fine. But shouldn’t you be getting ready for the third task?” 

“I had to come to see you first. I was told not to come last night.” He shot a glare over at the twins before smiling back down at her. “I’m so sorry about what happened yesterday. My parents were disgusted by your father’s attitude.” 

“It doesn’t matter. He’s not a part of my life anymore, not after that. But please, you should go get ready. This is a big day.” 

Viktor stood up and leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips, leaning his head against hers for a moment before turning and heading out of the hospital wing. 

She turned towards Fred and George, who were glaring after the Bulgarian. “Would you two stop?” 

They turned their attention back to her, the glare not leaving their faces. 

“What the bloody hell were you thinking, Nessa?” Fred’s tone scared Vanessa slightly. 

“Fred, calm down.” George reached out to grab her hand, seeing her shaking. 

“She tried to kill herself yesterday, and I’m supposed to calm down?” 

The tears came before she could stop them. “I’m sorry,” she got out between sobs. “You don’t understand.” 

“What the bloody hell are you two doing?” Mrs. Weasley was storming up to Vanessa’s bed. She looked down at Vanessa crying, and the look on Fred’s face. “Both of you out, now.” 

“I didn’t do anything Mum,” George said in protest. 

Mrs. Weasley gave him a stern look, and he dropped Vanessa’s hand and got up. Fred followed his brother, and they both disappeared through the double doors. 

“There there dear,” Mrs. Weasley was wrapping Vanessa in her arms. “I’m sorry about my sons.” 

Vanessa let out a laugh as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “You’ve been saying that for as long as we’ve been friends.” 

“And I’m sure I’ll be saying it for years to come.” 

Moments later, her mother and brother came through the doors. Cedric was carrying something in his arms. 

“Thank you for coming to check on her Molly,” her mother said to her friend. “Can I talk to you for a moment?” 

Molly nodded and headed over to the door with Mrs. Diggory.

“I brought you a change of clothes for today.” Cedric set down a pair of black jeans, boots, and his Hufflepuff Quidditch jersey. “Figured you would want to wear it after stealing my jumper for the first task. I want that back by the way.” 

“You’ll never get it,” she smiled up at him. “I’m sorry.” 

Cedric looked at her, a confused look on his face. 

“You didn’t need all that before today.” 

“I just wished you would have talked to me. I knew you were dealing with this, but I didn’t know how bad it was. I’m always going to be here for you Vanessa, till we’re old and grey.” 

She grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug. “Promise?” 

“Always.” 

He helped her out of bed, and she took the clothes he had brought her into the bathroom of the hospital wing. She showered quickly, spelled her hair dry before getting dressed, and heading back out to her family, Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley. 

“I trust you’ll take care of yourself, Miss Diggory. You’re a very talented witch, and I don’t want to see you back in here for something like this.” 

“Yes, Madam Pomfrey.”

She walked back to her office, and the rest of them walked out of the hospital wing.

Everyone was murmuring as she entered the Great Hall, talking about what had happened to her the night before. She sat at the Hufflepuff table with her brother and mother. She was glad no one was mentioning her father. 

Professor Dumbledore came to get the Diggorys, Harry, Molly, and Bill shortly after breakfast and told them all that they were to meet him at the Quidditch pitch in an hour for the final task. 

They spent that hour contemplating what was awaiting the champions. An hour seemed to fly by, as they found themselves with the Krums, Delacours, Professor Karakaroff, Madame Maxime, and Professor Dumbledore. Many had wondered if the tournament should continue with the drama surrounding the now dead Barty Crouch. But Ludo Bagman and the Minister of Magic insisted. 

“Well, now that you’re all here, let’s get going.” Ludo Bagman led the group into a clearing. The whole pitch was now overgrown with hedges. Cheers erupted as the crowds looked down upon the champions from the stands. They weren’t the normal Quidditch stands but were shorter, wider, and able to accommodate more people. 

Ludo positioned the champions at what looked to be four different entry points of the maze. Various professors, including McGonagall, Snape, Moody, and Hagrid were patrolling the maze’s perimeter. 

“Welcome to the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Hidden inside this maze is the Triwizard Cup. The first champion to find the cup will be crowned Triwizard champion and be awarded one-thousand galleons. The champions will enter based on current scores. Mr. Diggory and Mr. Potter are tied for first and will enter at the same time. Mr. Krum will follow five minutes afterwards, and Miss Delacour five minutes after Mr. Krum. If ever you find yourself in danger and would like to be removed from the tournament, just shoot warning sparks into the air. The tournament will begin in five minutes.” Ludo removed his wand from this throat and nodded at the headmasters and headmistress, all of whom turned to their respective champions and their families. 

“This maze is not as easy as it sounds. There will be various obstacles in your way. Find the cup if you can, but be careful. You might just lose yourself along the way.” 

At Dumbledore’s words, Vanessa hugged Cedric. “You’ll be okay?” 

“I promise. I’ll see you when all this is done, and I’ve won.” He smiled down and kissed her forehead. 

“I love you Ced.” 

“I love you too Ness.” 

“Always,” they said in unison. 

A loud bang erupted, signaling for Cedric and Harry to enter. Vanessa, her mother, Mrs. Weasley, and Bill all went to sit in the family section that had been roped off. The rest of the Weasleys and Hermione were already there waiting. Vanessa went to sit down next to the twins; Fred immediately apologizing for acting like a git. She assured him she had deserved it. 

The bang occurred two more times after that, once for Viktor and then for Fleur. And then, everyone waited. No one knew what was happening in the maze. After a while, red sparks shot into the air, and Fleur exited the maze looking panicked. Red sparks shot out again shortly after that, Viktor next to come out of the maze, looking dazed. Both students were talking furiously with the heads of their respective schools. 

Everyone in the stands was muttering curiously, wondering what was happening in the maze. Dumbledore, Ludo Bagman, and Cornelius Fudge had all been brought in at that point; still, no one knew what was happening. But it wasn’t good. 

A feeling came over Vanessa, one that she had only felt once before. At that time, her brother had been seriously injured during a Quidditch game. But this wasn’t Quidditch; this was much worse. She just knew it. She looked over at the group of people still talking, at the scared look on Fleur and even Viktor’s faces. His eyes met hers, and she knew.

“Something is wrong with Ced.” She spoke so low that only the twins could hear her. 

“He’s fine, Nessa. Probably just ran into something in the maze,” George said next to her. 

“No, something is seriously wrong. I can feel it.” 

“Like when something happens to George, and I just know it happens?” She looked over at Fred and nodded. He looked at his twin over her head and then back at the maze. 

That’s when it happened. Harry and Cedric reappeared, holding the Triwizard Cup. The crowds around them burst into applause. He wasn’t moving. Her brother wasn’t moving. And Harry wasn’t letting him go. She stood up, but the twins grabbed her to stop her from running down to her brother. 

“Let me go.” She was crying already. 

“No. You shouldn’t be down there.” She wasn’t sure which one spoke, but she knew she had to be with her brother. Maybe she could help him. She heard her mother scream next to Mrs. Weasley. Silence fell upon the crowd. Dumbledore moved to Harry and Cedric and called the professors who blocked the boys from view. 

Vanessa cast a silent spell that heated her body and forced the twins to remove their hold from her. She ran down and pushed her way past the teachers. Moody had just taken Harry away. She fell to the ground next to her brother, her sobs intensifying. 

“No, Ced, you promised. You promised me you were going to be fine. You promised me you wouldn’t leave me.” She took out her wand and muttered every healing spell she knew before tossing her wand aside and trying to use wandless magic. But none of it was working. “Please, Ced.” She looked down at his pale face, his body cold. 

“Miss Diggory. We should take you and your mother into the castle. We can bring your brother’s body up with you so you can be alone.” 

But she couldn’t move. She continued to look down at his lifeless body. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. 

She was being helped up by Professor McGonagall moments later. Professor Sprout, Cedric’s head of house, had conjured a blanket to cover his body. 

“Pomona, Filius, inform the students that they are to go to their houses immediately. Minerva, Severus, please take the Diggorys to my office for privacy. Molly Weasley is welcome to join them. Don’t try and stop the twins. They’ll put up a fight to be there for Miss Diggory. I have to go find Harry.” 

They were in Dumbledore’s office a while later. A table had been conjured for Cedric’s body. Mrs. Diggory hadn’t left his side since they arrived. Sure enough, Mrs. Weasley had come with them, followed closely by Fred and George. They found Vanessa sobbing in a corner of the office. They both moved to the floor to sit with her, and she cried onto George’s shoulder while Fred took her hand. 

Hours had gone by, and still nothing. Hagrid had come to get Snape and McGonagall, saying that Dumbledore needed them immediately and that he would wait outside the door. 

Vanessa had finally stopped crying, but she hadn’t moved from where she sat with the twins. The door burst open hours later. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Sprout all came into the room. Professor Sprout went to talk to Mrs. Diggory as Dumbledore sat behind his desk and began to recount what he was told had happened that night in the maze. 

He had also told them that Barty Crouch Jr., under the disguise of Mad-Eye Moody, had been the reason Fleur and Viktor had been disqualified from the tournament. The man had stunned Fleur and put the Imperius Curse on Viktor, forcing him to hit Cedric with the Cruciatus curse. Voldemort set it up for Harry to win so he could return to power that night.

Once he had finished, Vanessa was back on her feet before the twins realized she had moved, her wand clutched in her hand so hard her knuckles were turning white. “Where is he? I’ll kill him.” 

Dumbledore sighed. “I’m sorry to say Miss Diggory, but the Minister has already seen to Barty Crouch Jr’s demise.” 

There was a knock on the door a moment later. Harry had walked in. He looked from Vanessa to Mrs. Diggory, then back to Vanessa. His eyes were apologetic. 

“Molly, Fred, George, while I know it is appreciated that you are here, I must ask you to wait outside for a few moments,” Dumbledore said, nodding at Molly. 

She nodded and took the twins out of the office, much to their protests. The Headmaster had Harry tell the complete story of what had happened, from the cup being a portkey to the return of Voldemort. _Kill the spare,_ he had said. She wanted to kill Voldemort at that moment. It was the name of Peter Pettigrew that was now etched in her brain though. He was the one who killed her brother, and when the day came, she would be the one to kill him. 

The night dragged on, Vanessa hardly paying attention to anything else that was being said. The school was going to have a memorial for Cedric on the last day of the term. Vanessa’s mother was not going to stay, stating that she now had a funeral to plan, and she wanted to take her son’s body. She and Molly walked out of the office as Harry turned to Vanessa. 

“I want you to have this. It should have been Cedric’s.” He was holding out a bag, and it hit her, it was the winnings from the tournament. 

She looked at the raven-haired boy who had been with her brother in his final moments. “I don’t want it. You and Ced won the tournament together. You should keep it.” 

“I don’t want it either.” 

An idea struck her, and she leaned toward him so no one else could hear them. “Give it to the twins. For their joke shop.” 

Harry nodded and looked at her. “I’m so sorry Vanessa. I tried to save him.” 

“I don’t blame you, Harry. Did he suffer?” 

“It happened so fast. I don’t think he could have.” 

She nodded and turned to leave, but Professor Dumbledore called for her to stay. He dismissed everyone but she and Professor Snape. 

“Normally, this would have been done under better circumstances. I had planned to give this to you at the end of the term feast.” The Headmaster handed her a green and silver pin with the words Head Girl etched upon it. He also handed her a yellow and gold pin with the words Head Boy etched on it. “You and your brother were meant to be the Head Boy and Head Girl next year. While arrangements will now have to be made, I hope that you will still do us this great honor.”

“I will, for my brother.” 

“Miss Diggory, before I dismiss you, I must implore something upon you. Please be careful with your magic. With Voldemort back in power, you would be considered a very valuable asset to have.” 

She nodded at the headmaster before taking her leave from his office. Her mother and Mrs. Weasley were gone, but the twins were still there. They were always there.


	10. Saying Goodbye

By the next morning, Cedric’s death was all anyone could talk about. Her mother had left that day to take Cedric home and prepare for his memorial. Everyone was speculating what happened, but Dumbledore set the record straight during the memorial, which was held a week later. No one could believe that Voldemort was back.

Vanessa sat between the twins at the front of the Great Hall. The four house tables had been replaced with hundreds of chairs. Sometime during the memorial, George had taken her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.

When the memorial finished, Vanessa was approached by students from every house, even Hufflepuff, who were offering condolences. The Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students came to her as well, both groups led by their respective tournament champions.

The foreign schools would be leaving that day, and instead of celebrating a Triwizard Champion, they were mourning the loss of one. Harry had insisted Cedric be named champion, but the Ministry decided to give them both the title. Not that Cedric would ever be able to celebrate it.

Viktor had pulled Vanessa away from the twins, and much to her shock, they let her go without saying a word. He brought her hand to his lips for what she was sure might be the last time.

“I hate to leave you like this, but I know you’re in good hands.” Viktor looked over her to Fred and George. “Your brother was a good man. I’m sorry that I had made his last moments unbearable.”

She reached up and placed a hand on the side of his face, seeing the sadness in his eyes. “It wasn’t your fault Viktor. You were under the Imperius Curse; you had no choice.”

“Spending time with you and getting to know you has been the highlight of my visit. I hope you’ll take me up on my offer to come for a visit while you’re in Romania. You’re a very special witch Vanessa, don’t forget it.”

He leaned down to kiss her, not on the lips as she had grown accustomed to, but on the cheek. “Goodbye, Viktor.”

He bowed to her before joining his friends and fellow schoolmates to head to their ship at the Black Lake. Karkaroff was gone, and Viktor had been tasked to lead the journey back to Durmstrang. 

“Vanessa,” a soft voice spoke behind her. She turned to see Fleur, her face still covered in fresh tears. “I’m so sorry.” She wrapped the brunette in her arms, holding her tight. She knew Fleur and Cedric had grown close over her time at the school. “He was such a good person Vanessa. I hope you know how much you meant to him. He talked about you so often.”

“Thank you, Fleur.”

“I’ll be coming back over the summer. I will be working at Gringotts to help improve my English. I hope to see you while I’m here.”

“I’m headed to Romania soon. I have an internship there with the Dragon Reserve Charlie Weasley works for.”

“Well, when you get back then.” She leaned down and kissed Vanessa on both cheeks before heading to her sister and headmistress to leave.

Ginny and Hermione were next. They both hugged the older girl, neither of them saying a word. They didn’t have to. They were there for her. That was all that mattered.

They both left a few moments later; the Great Hall practically empty now.

She turned to face the twins. She was holding back tears again. “I guess we should head to Hogsmeade. Mum will want me home as soon as possible to help with everything.”

Fred and George pulled her into a hug, holding on to her so tight it was as though they were never going to let her go.

The train ride home was a mournful one for everyone. Even the Slytherins who usually walked the halls spewing hate never left their compartments.

Dumbledore had announced Vanessa as Head Girl before the start of the feast that morning, but it just didn’t seem real. Not with her brother not there to be Head Boy with her. Dumbledore had instead appointed Roger Davies, Ravenclaw, as Head Boy.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were waiting at the station when they arrived.

“Dear, we’ll be taking you home to your mother. She just couldn’t bring herself to leave the house.”

Vanessa nodded her head and pulled her things behind her to the car that the Weasleys had brought to pick them all up.

When they reached her house, Mr. Weasley helped bring her things to the door before they all took off towards the Burrow.

She pulled her things into the house and up to her room before looking for her mother. She finally found her sitting at the kitchen table, holding a photo of two laughing kids, no older than 5. Vanessa and Cedric. She took the seat next to her mother and held her hand.

“Your father is gone.”

Those weren’t the first words she was expecting to hear.

“What do you mean he’s gone?”

“When I came home yesterday, he was furious. Furious at you, furious that I stayed at the school. When I had told him about Cedric, he got violent. Thankfully Molly and Arthur were both here. He went on about how it should have been you, and I snapped.”

Her eyes widened. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”

“No, I wiped his memory. He no longer has any recollection of us. We told him that he lived in Switzerland, and he took off there immediately.” 

She hugged her mother tightly. She couldn’t believe the bravery she knew it must have taken to do that. After all the years, they were both finally free of him.

Her mother proceeded to tell her of the funeral they would be having for Cedric the next day. He would be buried in the village cemetery at the family plot.

“I assume you’ll want to get all of your stuff unpacked and then repacked.”

“What?”

“Your brother wrote to me about your internship after he found out. He was very proud of you, as am I. I want you to go. I want you to live your life, Vanessa. Live it for your brother.”

The funeral was difficult for Vanessa and her mother. She still couldn’t believe he was gone. Family members from her father and mother’s side had shown up, no one mentioning Amos. All of the Weasleys had attended, along with Harry and Hermione. Several professors from Hogwarts had attended, including all the heads of houses. Friends and housemates and team members of Cedric’s and fellow Quidditch team members of Vanessa’s were there as well.

When everyone convened at their house for a feast afterward, she found Charlie sitting and talking to Bill. “Can I talk to you for a moment?” Charlie nodded and stood up, following her down the hall to an empty sitting room.

“I don’t know when you’re going back to Romania, but I’m hoping you’ll take me with you.”

“You’re not due there for another few weeks.”

“I know, but I need to get out of here.”

“I’m sure Harvey wouldn’t mind if you came early.”

“Don’t tell anyone. Especially not George and Fred. If they knew I was leaving, they would try to stop me.”

“What about your mother?”

“I’ll leave her a note. She’ll understand.”

Charlie nodded. “I’ll meet you out back tomorrow night at midnight. We can go then.”

“Oi, Charlie, stop hogging Nessa.” George was standing in the doorway, looking at the two of them. “You’ll get her all summer.”

Charlie hugged Vanessa before heading out of the room.

“How are you?”

“As good as can be expected, I guess.”

“Are you still going to Romania then?”

“That’s the plan. This is such a big opportunity for me, George.”

“Well, then the three of us are going to make the most of the next week before you leave,” Fred said, strolling into the room.

Once everyone had finally left, Vanessa helped her mother clear everything up. Fred and George didn’t want to go, so Mrs. Diggory permitted them to stay.

The three of them went up to Vanessa’s room and played several games of exploding snap before she yawned. “I’m going to get ready for bed.”

“We should probably get home,” Fred said, looking over at George, who clearly didn’t want to leave.

“My Mum checked with your Mum, and they said you guys could stay here. If you want.”

“Of course,” they said in unison.

Vanesa took out her wand and conjured pajamas for them. She went into the bathroom and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt of her brother’s she had taken from him the year before. 

She walked out to find Fred and George conjuring pillows and blankets for the floor next to her bed, talking amongst themselves. They had turned around a few moments later, realizing she had come back into the room.

“What is it,” Fred asked.

Walking over to them, she hugged them and started crying. She didn’t think the crying would ever stop. “Thank you both for being here for me.” 

They looked at each other and then down at the top of her head. “We’ll always be here for you,” George said. 

She pulled away and looked up at them. “Don’t say that. Cedric said the same thing, and look at what happened to him.” She looked down at the pillows and blankets on the floor. It reminded her of when they were kids, and they would have sleepovers in the living room of the Burrow. She waved her wand, and more pillows and blankets appeared on the floor. 

“Don’t you want to sleep in your bed?” Fred asked. 

“No. We’re going to sleep on the floor like when we were kids.” She got down on the floor and made herself comfortable in the middle spot. 

The twins moved to either side of her, and she waved her wand to turn off the light. As she started to doze off, she felt someone’s hand take hers, and she knew it was George. His fingers laced with hers as she slowly fell asleep. She woke up multiple times from the nightmares she had had. She kept seeing her brother’s lifeless body lying before her. She couldn’t wake him up, no matter how hard she tried.

She never fell back to sleep that night. Vanessa didn’t want the nightmares that would come every time she closed her eyes, and the twins wanted to be there to comfort her as best they could.

She could see the sun peeking through her window. Fred was to her left, snoring. She smiled, glad someone was able to fall asleep finally. She turned over to her right to see George’s eyes upon her. “Did you sleep at all?”

“Nope. But it’s alright. You’re more important.”

She moved closer to him, laying her head on his chest. “Thank you for staying with me. I’m sorry I'm such a mess.” 

“You just lost your brother a few days ago. I would be the same way if something happened to Fred, let alone any of my siblings.” He started running a hand through her hair. She felt at ease.

When Fred finally woke up, they went downstairs, and Vanessa made everyone breakfast. Before she sat down to eat, she went to find her mother. She hadn’t seen her since they came downstairs. She went up to the bedroom that now just belonged to her mother and knocked lightly before opening the door. Her mother had two trunks sitting next to her bed, both almost filled with clothes and various pictures and mementos. 

“Mum, I made breakfast.”

Her mother turned around, startled. She hadn’t heard her daughter enter the room.

“Thank you, sweetheart. I’ll be right down.”

“Are you going somewhere?”

Her mother reached out a hand and pulled her over to sit next to her on the bed. “I know you were planning on leaving tonight. Don’t try and deny it. I overheard your conversation with Charlie yesterday. I figured, if you were leaving, there was no point in me staying here. I have too many memories in this house. Of your father and your brother. Your aunt, my sister, has invited me to come live with her.”

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

Mrs. Diggory nodded her head. “I am dear. I hope you never have to experience the loss of a child Vanessa. It’s the worst pain in the world.” She wrapped an arm around her daughter and kissed her forehead. “I want you to have the house.”

Vanessa looked at her mother, shaking her head. “I can’t.”

“It’s already done. I had the papers drawn up yesterday. Everything is in your name now. I want you to have a place to stay once you graduate from Hogwarts. That is if you decide to stay in the country. Also, your father’s account at Gringotts has been put in your name. You’ll have plenty to live comfortably for the rest of your life.”

“When are you leaving?”

“As soon as I finish packing. But I’ll come have breakfast with you and the boys first.” Both women stood up, Mrs. Diggory still holding on to her daughter. “Speaking of, I see the way the one looks at you. I see how happy they make you. Don’t ruin that by running off because you’re scared.”

Vanessa sighed. “I’m not scared. I just lost my brother, and I need to take my mind off of everything going on.”

“And you’re scared you’re going to lose two more people you care about. Tell them you’re leaving.”

“I can’t, Mum. It will be easier this way.”

Mrs. Diggory knew she couldn’t stop her. She was seventeen and would make her own decisions.

“I love you, Mum.”

“I love you too, sweetheart. I hope you’ll come to visit me during the holidays.”

“Of course. Now come on, before breakfast gets cold.”

They headed downstairs. Fred and George had helped themselves to seconds and conjured a pot of coffee. When Mrs. Diggory had finished eating and gone back upstairs, Vanessa proceeded to tell the twins about her mother moving and leaving the house to her.

The three of them cleaned up after breakfast a short while later. “We should get home. Let you say goodbye to your Mum. Want to come over for dinner tonight? I’m sure Mum won’t mind having you.”

“Thanks, Fred. I’ll think about it. I probably should start unpacking my school things.”

He nodded and hugged her, followed by George, before they both Apparated back to the Burrow. She stared around the kitchen, taking in everything. There were so many memories there, and it was almost overwhelming. She heard her mother coming down the stairs several minutes later and went to help her.

“Well dear, I’m all set. This is your house now, so feel free to change it as you wish. I can’t wait to see it someday.” She leaned down and wrapped her daughter in her arms. They stayed like that for several minutes. “Take care of yourself, Vanessa, and please write to me while you’re in Romania.”

“I will, Mum. Please be safe.”

“I love you.” They said it simultaneously, and a moment later, with a faint pop, her mother and her belongings had disappeared.

Alone with her thoughts, Vanessa went about cleaning out her school trunk, grateful she could finally use magic outside of school. All of her clothes were cleaned within the hour. Her school clothes and the dress she had worn to the ball were hanging in her wardrobe. Her casual clothes were folding themselves and making their way into another truck, one she would be taking with her to Romania. Her old school books made their way to her bookshelf, while all her supplies were stored back into her school trunk. Her owl was out hunting, and she contemplated bringing her along for the summer.

A few hours later, she dressed, deciding to join the Weasley family for dinner. Molly greeted her as soon as she arrived. “I’m so happy you could join us, dear. Dinner should be ready soon. The boys are up in their room if you would like to go see them.”

“Actually, where’s Ginny?”

“She’s up in her room as well.”

Vanessa made her way up to the youngest Weasley’s room, finding her sitting on her bed reading.

“Hey, Nessa. Come for dinner?”

The older girl nodded, closing the door and crossing the room to sit next to Ginny.

“I have to ask you a favor.” Ginny nodded before Vanessa continued. “I’m leaving for Romania tonight with Charlie. I don’t want the twins to know. They’ll try and stop me. I want you to look after my owl when I’m gone. I’ll be back two weeks before term, but I would appreciate it if you could watch after her until then.”

“What about your Mum?”

Vanessa proceeded to tell Ginny about her mother and her new housing situation.

“Of course I’ll look after her for you. But are you sure about not telling Fred and George?”

“I am. I’m going to leave them a note explaining everything.”

“Dinner is ready,” Mrs. Weasley was calling from the kitchen.

The girls made their way downstairs, being questioned immediately by Fred and George as to why she didn’t come to see them first. But as soon as she apologized and told them it was girl stuff, they stopped asking questions.

Charlie and Bill were both there; however, Percy was missing. She soon found out why. He was siding with the ministry who didn’t want to believe Voldemort was back. He had left in a bad way and was a right foul git to his mother. It made Vanessa’s blood boil. Here she was without her brother, while he was just throwing his family away.

Vanessa helped Mrs. Weasley clean up after dinner, thanking her multiple times for having her over.

“Dear really, you’re always welcome.” She turned to face the younger woman, the warm smile Vanessa had grown to know, spreading across her face. “Your mother sent me an owl letting me know she was leaving. If you need anything, please let me know.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Weasley.” She hugged the woman who had always been like a second mother to her. “I should be getting home.”

“Without saying goodbye?” Fred and George had walked into the kitchen while they had been talking.

“I was going to come to find you before I left.” Mrs. Weasley bustled off into the other room, leaving them alone.

“You want us to come to stay with you again tonight?”

“Thanks, George, but I’ll be fine. I’ve got some things to do around the house anyway.” She hugged them both. “I’ll see you both soon.” She pulled away, giving them one last smile, before apparating back to her house. 

She went into her room, seeing Ruby had returned. “You be good for Ginny,” she said, giving her owl a treat before sending her off to the Burrow. She took out a black leather bag from her wardrobe and cast an undetectable extension charm on it. She put her trunk, a few books, and her broom inside of it. She knew she wouldn’t need much else, but it would be easier to travel with just the bag. She sat down at her desk and started writing her letter to the twins.

_George and Fred,_

_By now I’m sure you’ve realized I’m gone, but please don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Charlie has taken me to Romania earlier than planned, at my request. So please don’t be upset with him. My heart is broken into a million pieces at the loss of Cedric. Even as I’m writing this, I can hardly keep it together. I need time, time to recuperate, and time to focus on myself. Thank you both so much for looking after me last night. It meant more to me than you’ll ever know. I’m sorry for everything this past year. For losing so much time with you and for trying to take my own life. You’ve both saved me in more ways than one. I look forward to seeing you both again at the end of the summer, that is, if you’ll want to see me. I hope you understand._

_Love always,_

_Vanessa_

The letter was spotted with tears, but she didn’t care. She waved her wand over the letter, and it folded itself into an envelope, Fred and George’s name magically appearing on the front of it.

Vanessa looked at the clock. It was a few minutes till midnight. She grabbed her bag and the letter and took off downstairs. As soon as she approached the back door, she heard a faint pop and saw the second oldest Weasley standing on the other side. Taking one last look at her house, she went out into the yard, locking the door behind her.

“You’re sure about this?”

“I am.”

Vanessa took the letter and tapped it, sending it off to the twins. She took hold of Charlie’s hand, and with another faint pop, they were gone. 


	11. The Summer of Change

Harvey was more than happy to have Vanessa arrive early. It turned out the eggs of the Swedish Short-Snout her brother had faced in the Triwizard Tournament had just hatched. The next day, Vanessa was working with the Short-Snout. She immediately earned the admiration of dragonologists on the reserve. They couldn't believe how fearless she was on her first day, going up to the mother dragon and touching her snout, helping to assure the beast that she meant no harm to her hatchlings. 

Vanessa helped to check to make sure the hatchlings were healthy, making sure they had everything they needed. She had a calming nature with the dragons, something that took most dragonologists months to years of work to perfect, some never even getting it right. 

Her nightmares still came every night. She was staying in the spare bedroom of Charlie's apartment on the reserve. The first few nights, he came into her room to check on her, but on the fourth night, he stayed with her. He held her as she tried to fall back to sleep, just as Fred and George had done the night before she left. 

It went on for three weeks before she finally decided to make a change. She was tired of the nightmares and tired of being a burden to Charlie. She woke up earlier than she had wanted to one morning. She got up quietly, not wanting to wake the redhead in the bed next to her. She grabbed her cauldron and some ingredients from her trunk, before heading into the kitchen. 

She set to work brewing a sleeping draught, disappointed that she hadn’t thought about it earlier. After about an hour, she heard footsteps behind her. 

“You woke up early.”

“Couldn’t sleep again. Figured it was time I finally did something about it.” 

Charlie walked over to the counter and looked down into the cauldron. “Sleeping draught?” 

She nodded her head. “Plus, I’m sure you want to sleep in your own bed again.” 

“I don’t mind it. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” 

“I don’t know that I'll ever really be okay again.” 

Charlie wrapped his arm around her and hugged her. “You will be. It might take time, but you will be.” 

“Thanks, Charlie.” She left her potion, waving her wand to start preparing breakfast. She had been cooking for him almost every day. It was the least she could do since she was staying with him. 

“Fred and George sent you another owl. Came in after you went to bed last night. You should write them back.” 

“I’m going to be home soon, it can wait.” 

“They’re worried about you. I’ve been writing to tell them you’re doing great with your internship, but they want to hear from you.” 

She waved her wand a few more times, finishing the food and pouring coffee for the two of them. She thought about the twins every day, and how she was slowly starting to fall in love with George. But Voldemort was back, and the war was coming and she didn’t want to lose either of them. 

The plates filled themselves and placed themselves on the table, along with the coffee. The pair sat down and ate in silence. After a while, Vanessa broke it. 

“I’m scared. I’m scared of what the future holds, of what could happen to the people I love. My brother is gone, my Mum left to go live with my aunt, my father doesn’t even remember who I am, not that he ever cared in the first place. I feel so alone.” 

“But you’re not alone. My whole family loves you, and you know damn well the twins would do anything for you. Bloody hell, George saved your life when you tried to off yourself. They love you Vanessa, and that’s what scares you.” 

“Says the guy who's been single all his life and likes being alone with dragons.” 

He rolled his eyes. “Fair enough. I’m probably the last person who should be giving advice on the subject. But you know I’m not wrong about my family. Ginny loves you like a sister. She was giving the twins hell after how they treated you at the Yule Ball. Hell, she almost hexed me for saying I found you attractive last summer. Fred and George almost did too.” 

She blushed. He found her attractive? That was interesting news to her.

“I should probably get ready. Rosie and Antonia wanted to take me out today. Something about shopping and other girly things. I can’t wait.” 

Rosie was one of Charlie’s coworkers and someone Vanessa had become friends with as soon as she met her. Antonia was Rosie’s girlfriend who owned a shop in the Muggle village nearby. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re going out and doing something. You’ve been working so hard around here. Harvey has been considering asking you to just skip your last year of school and offer you a job here. But Mum would kill me if she found out.” 

Vanessa laughed. She was being silly about everything. Charlie was right, she still had a family, a crazy family of gingers who she loved dearly. 

“Did you mean what you said?” 

“What?” 

“You found me attractive.” 

“Still do,” Charlie said, standing from his chair and picking up their now empty plates. “I’m not blind. I also know my brothers would hex me to no end if they knew we were sleeping together.” 

“We’re only sharing a bed. And it’s only because you were worried about me.” 

“You and I both know that those two would take it to mean so much more.” 

“We don’t have to tell them.” She stood up and walked into her room to get some empty flasks for her potion. She returned to the kitchen and with a wave of her wand, the flasks filled themselves. She cleaned her cauldron and picked up her things to take them back into her room, but not before catching Charlie's eye. 

“What?” 

“You’re the most incredible witch I've ever met.” 

“So I’ve been told.” She smiled and walked back into her room, closing the door behind her. 

She put her things away and went out getting ready to go out with her friends. Several minutes later, she heard a knock at the front door and voices moments later. She finished putting her hair up into a ponytail before heading out into the living room. 

Rosie was a shorter woman who resembled a pixie. Vanessa had to do a double-take when she first met her, thinking to herself that someone that small couldn't possibly be a dragonologist. She had bright blue hair that she kept short and was almost always wearing something leather. Her girlfriend Antonia on the other hand was the total opposite. She was tall and blonde and was almost always dressed like a model. 

“Ready for your day of fun,” Rosie asked excitedly. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” 

The three of them Apparated out of the apartment and into the nearby village where Antonia’s shop was. 

“So I’ve set aside a few pieces for you to try on. Everything from clothes and shoes to accessories. You talked about stepping outside of your comfort zone when Rosie first introduced me to you, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do today.” 

“You wanted change, you came to the right woman. She still tries to get me to wear different things.” 

“But I know she’ll never change her mind.” 

The trio made it to the shop, which Antonia had closed for the day. From what Rosie had told Vanessa, the shop was very successful but catered more towards the younger crowd. Antonia ushered her towards one of the dressing rooms, where clothes hung on hooks and lay on the chair. This was not a few pieces. 

“I’m not going to wear half this stuff.” 

Antonia looked at her, slightly offended. “You have a beautiful body Vanessa, you need to show it off.” 

She rolled her eyes and closed the curtain, starting to try on the different outfits. She would come out after each one was one and show the two women on the other side. Rosie seemed to like everything, but Antonia was brutally honest with what she liked. She even came into the room with Vanessa to help her out a few times. 

Once she finally made it through all the clothes an hour later, she came back out wearing the black t-shirt and skinny jeans she originally had on. Antonia went back into the room and waved her wand. Some clothes went flying back onto the shelves, while a good pile folded itself back up and put itself into several bags. 

“These are for you. And before you say no, it’s a gift and I won’t accept them back.” 

“Thank you, Antonia.” 

“Now for me,” Rosie said excitedly. “You told me the other night that you’ve been wanting to do something different to your hair. Well, if you’ll let me, I’ve got just the thing.” 

“Do I have a choice?” 

“Nope. I’m going to do your makeup too.” The shorter woman pulled her over to a chair in the changing room area and went about waving her wand in Vanessa's direction. After a few moments, Antonia gasped. 

“What is it? Please tell me she didn’t take my hair all off.” Vanessa stood up and went to look in the mirror in one of the dressing rooms. Her jaw dropped. Gone was her long brown hair. It was replaced with jet black, wavy hair that cut off right above her shoulders. It was a cut she had always liked but never dared to try. Her makeup was simple, except for the dark maroon color lipstick she was wearing. 

It was something she could get used to. She returned to the women and hugged them both. “Rosie, I love it. I have one more favor to ask though.” 

“What is it?” 

“Charlie told me you’re good with tattoos.” 

“Yeah, I’ve done a few. You should see Toni’s back piece. Show her babe.” 

Antonia turned around and Rosie lifted the back of the blouse she was wearing. It was a beautiful vine of flowers that started at her upper back and stretched beyond where her jeans had started. 

“It’s beautiful, but I don’t want something that big. I was hoping to get a small badger on my left wrist. My brother was a Hufflepuff at Hogwarts and I thought it might be a nice reminder of him that I could always have with me.” 

Rosie nodded. “I think I can do that. But you’ll want another one. These things are addicting once you get started. Give me your wrist.” 

Vanessa held her hand out and Rosie held her wand to the spot she had indicated. After muttering a few charms Vanessa had never heard, a small badger appeared on her wrist. She looked down at it and smiled. 

“It’s perfect.” 

The trio left the shop, deciding to stop and get lunch at a local restaurant. They laughed and talked about anything and everything. Both women were so easy to talk to, but they made her miss Hermione and Ginny. She hoped they would be able to forgive her for leaving and not writing them. Part of the reason she enjoyed spending time with Rosie especially, was because Rosie had also lost a sibling. She had a sister who enjoyed experimenting with potions, and one day something went wrong. Rosie had been the one to find her. But it helped to have someone to talk to about the hurt that losing a sibling caused. 

They went back to the reserve a few hours later, Antonia and Rosie to their apartment, and Vanessa to Charlie’s. Charlie was in the living room working on something when she Apparated back. He looked up at her with an odd expression in his eyes. 

“What is it? Do I have something on my face?” 

“What did they do to you?” 

“You don’t like it?” 

“I like it very much.” 

She blushed. “Shut up Charlie.” 

Vanessa went into her bedroom to put all of her things down, and he followed closely behind. 

“You got an owl while you were out.” He handed her the thin envelope, which she quickly opened. It wasn’t from the twins like she expected, but from Professor Dumbledore. She read it over twice, before looking up at Charlie. 

“The Order of the Phoenix? Isn’t this the group your family was in during the first war?” 

“Yeah, my parents and uncles. My uncles died fighting in the war. But I can’t believe they want you. You’re only seventeen. I doubt Mum will even let the twins join.” 

“I have to leave in two weeks to be a headquarters.” 

“I have to escort you back. I got a letter from Dumbledore myself. Basically telling me what he told you, but that I’m to go with you. But do you know why he wants you?” 

She sighed and looked down at the ground. “My magic. He told me at the end of the term to be careful with it, that if Voldemort knew, he might seek to find me and use me for his cause. But Dumbledore just wants to use me for their side.” 

Charlie wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. “You don’t have to do this you know. You could always tell them no.” 

“But maybe if I join the Order, I could help protect the people I care about.” 

They sat in silence for a while. She found comfort in his arms, he reminded her so much of George. She eventually got up and got ready for bed, Charlie joining her again that night, even though she told him he didn’t need to. He insisted. She took her sleeping draught and got comfortable, finally drifting off for her first peaceful night sleep in weeks. 

Two weeks flew by. Vanessa, Charlie, Rosie, and Antonia were able to catch a Quidditch game thanks to Viktor. The Bulgarian couldn’t stop complimenting her new look but also claimed that she was beautiful before as well. She had stayed behind that night to catch up with him, but most of the time was spent making out. It’s one of the things they were so good at together.

She hated having to leave the reserve, not when she knew what awaited her when she returned back to reality. Rosie and Antonia insisted on taking her out that night, along with Charlie and the rest of the dragonologists on the reserve. Even Harvey was joining them, and apparently, he never went out. 

Antonia dressed her in a tight black dress she had gifted her, but much to the blonde’s dismay, Vanessa paired it with flats instead of the sky-high stilettos Antonia wanted her to wear. She had agreed to wear the dress, but she refused to wear those uncomfortable shoes. 

Vanessa was still wearing her hair the way Rosie had styled it the first time. She found she loved the darker color and the natural-looking waves. She also opted to continue to wear the dark maroon lipstick. She really did have a newfound confidence and just felt better about herself. 

They went to a wizard’s bar that night and Vanessa found herself drinking firewhisky for the first time, which may or may not have been a good idea. After just a few drinks, she was already starting to feel the effects, and they surprisingly felt good. That night she felt carefree. She had even convinced Rosie to give her another tattoo. She opted for a tattoo of a Swedish Short-Snout, also a tribute to her brother, that she put on her right shoulder blade. It was bigger than the badger, but she loved it just as much. 

Vanessa and Charlie Apparated back to the apartment several hours later. She was drunk, a feeling she had never felt before. Charlie helped her into her bedroom and pulled out some sweats for her to put on. He turned around so she could change, not wanting to leave her in that state. After stumbling about for a few minutes, she had finally gotten dressed. Charlie got her into bed before going to change for bed himself. 

He came back into the room and she seemed to already be asleep. He got into bed next to her and turned out the lights and wrapped an arm around her like he had every night since the first night he stayed with her. He kissed the top of her head and found himself starting to fall asleep. 

“Thank you for everything, Charlie Weasley.” 

He smiled and squeezed her gently before they succumbed to sleep. 

When they awoke the next morning, Vanessa had a splitting headache. Charlie went to make breakfast and came in several minutes later with a tray and a large cup of coffee for her. She finished off the coffee right away, and Charlie brought her another. Once she finished her food, he took the tray and cleaned up the kitchen. 

She finally got out of bed and started packing up her things. The time on the reserve had flown by and she was going to miss being there. She was going to miss her new friends. She was going to miss Charlie. But she was looking forward to seeing the twins and Hermione and Ginny. 

Vanessa went and showered and got ready for the journey. She looked at herself in the mirror before she got dressed. She took in her new appearance, her new hair, and even the tan she had acquired while working outdoors with the dragons during those long days. She smiled as she looked at the dragon tattoo on her shoulder blade. Rosie had done such a good job. 

She got dressed, opting for a white tank top that showed off her tattoo nicely, and a pair of black skinny jeans. With a wave of her wand, everything was packed back into her black bag. She waved the wand at herself and did her hair and makeup before walking into the living room. Rosie and Antonia were there to see her off. She hugged both girls, thanking them continuously for everything. 

Once they left, she took a look around the place. Charlie had joined her a moment later. “Are you ready to go?” 

She flung herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me. For helping me with the internship and getting me through the last month. I couldn't have done it without you.” 

“You’re a tough witch, you’ll make it through.” He leaned down and kissed her softly upon the lips for a moment, and then pulled away and smiled. 

She smiled back at him before leaning up to kiss him back, but just for a moment. It wasn’t like her kisses with Viktor, no this was a kiss between friends. Charlie’s one true love would always be dragons. “Let’s go.” 

Charlie took her hand and they were gone, a moment later appearing outside of 12 Grimmauld Place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for continuing to read my story! I hope you're enjoying it so far. Leave a Kudo if you do :) Huge thanks again to my beta reader Chantelle for everything!


	12. The Order of the Phoenix

Charlie knocked on the door of 12 Grimmauld Place. According to Dumbledore’s letter, the Muggles who lived in 11 and 13 Grimmauld Place could not see the house due to the Muggle-Repelling Charm that was put on the residence.

Vanessa could hear the door clicking, being unlocked from the other side. A moment later, a young woman with bubblegum pink hair appeared, smiling brightly. She ushered them both into the house, where someone was screaming the most hateful things. 

“Wotcher Charlie?” The woman with the pink hair hugged Charlie. Before he could answer her, she was leading them back down the hall. They passed the perpetrator of the screaming, a portrait of an older woman with curtains on either side of it. The woman who answered the door closed them with great difficulty, and the screaming stopped. 

The noise had caused Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny to leave their rooms and look down into the hall at the newcomers. Members who had visited the house regularly knew not to knock. 

“Is that Charlie?” Ron asked curiously. 

“It is, but who’s that with him? I don’t recognize her,” Fred said, standing next to him. 

“It can’t be Vanessa. Her hair isn’t long enough,” said Hermione. 

“They’re going into the kitchen. Let’s get the extendable ears.” George pulled two flesh-colored items from his pocket and untangled them. 

Vanessa and Charlie were led to the kitchen, where several people were sitting or standing. She recognized Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, of course, as well as Professor Snape and her former Defense Against the Dark Arts professors Lupin and Moody, the real Moody, not the imposter from the year before. The man she knew to be Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black, was also there. The others, she wasn’t sure of. 

When Mrs. Weasley finished hugging Charlie, she went over to Vanessa. She looked the girl up and down for a moment. “Charlie Weasley, what on earth did you do to this girl?”

She smiled and hugged Mrs. Weasley. “Don’t blame him, Mrs. Weasley. Charlie was the best host while I was in Romania. And the rest of this, well, I just needed a change.” 

Mrs. Weasley went to the kitchen door and waved her wand several times, before walking back over to Vanessa. “Silencing spell. We don’t want rest to hear. Let me introduce you to everyone. This is Nymphadora Tonks. She went to school with Charlie.” She had pointed to the girl with the pink hair, and her friendliness to Charlie made sense. “She doesn’t like to be called Nymphadora, so just call her Tonks. Then we have Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and our host, Sirius Black,” she pointed out each one individually. “You know Remus Lupin, Professor Snape, Arthur, and Bill, of course.”

Vanessa nodded at each person as Mrs. Weasley introduced them. 

“Everyone, this is Vanessa Diggory.” Mrs. Weasley’s voice sounded a little tense. 

“I can’t hear anything,” Fred said to the rest of the group at the top of the stairs.

“Bet you Mum put another silencing charm up,” Ron said. 

“Well, I guess we’ll find out who it is later,” said Ginny, before turning to walk back to her room. 

Back in the kitchen, Moody wanted to proceed with the meeting. “Enough chit chat Molly,” Moody said. “Miss Diggory, I know Dumbledore wrote to you, explaining about all this. We’ve been told about the magical abilities you have. Wandless magic and talent that some of us don’t even possess. We’ve reformed the Order because He Who Must Not Be Named is back, and his numbers are growing. We can use someone like you on our side to help win this war.” 

She stood there, taking in all the information he was giving her, but before she could speak, Mrs. Weasley spoke up. 

“Absolutely not. She’s barely seventeen. She has no business being forced into war. I won’t allow it.” 

Vanessa looked at Mrs. Weasley, a little shocked. She had never heard her yell like that before at anyone other than the twins. She reached out and took the older woman’s hand, squeezing it gently. 

She wanted vengeance for her brother, and she wanted to kill the man who killed him. She looked over at Snape, trying to read his thoughts on the matter. Before this, he was one of the few people who knew the powers she possessed, but he showed no emotion on his face. 

“What exactly will I be required to do? I still have a year left at school.” 

“We suspect he will be going after the children of his followers who are at the school to help fill his ranks and keep tabs on Potter. As a Slytherin, we thought you could keep your ear to the ground and see if you could hear any mentions of what might be going on.” 

“We also suspect, with the Ministry wanting to get Potter out of Hogwarts, that they might be playing a bigger part at the school this year,” Kingsley spoke this time. “I’ve been keeping my ears open at the Ministry, but it’s all been very secretive since they don’t want to admit he’s back.” 

“I’m not going to be in the Slytherin dorm this year. I’ll be in the Head Boy and Head Girl dorm. I’ll still have to do rounds in the Slytherin common room, so I would be able to check-in then. I can’t do this all the time though. I’ll have other duties to do because of my position and my school work, of course.” 

Lupin spoke next. “We understand this, Vanessa. Just keeping your ears open would help greatly. Children talk. If anything is happening, one of your housemates may know.” 

She turned to look at Mrs. Weasley, who was still looking mad about what was happening. Vanessa then turned to look around the room once more. Everyone was looking at her, waiting. 

“I have one condition.” 

“What’s that?” Moody asked. 

“When the time comes, when the fighting eventually begins, I want to be the one to kill Peter Pettigrew.” She was looking directly at Sirius and Lupin now. She knew he was their friend, that he was the reason Harry’s parents were dead, but he was also the reason her brother was gone, and she wanted to make him pay. 

“I like this one,” Tonks said, trying to break the tension. 

“As long as Wormtail dies, I couldn’t care less who does it,” Sirius said. 

“Then we’re set. Miss Diggory, you’ll be our eyes and ears with the students? We’ll give you a list of names to keep an eye on. You would be doing us a great service. Once you’ve graduated, we’ll leave it up to you whether or not you want to join permanently. But you must not tell anyone of what we’re doing here. You can tell your close group of friends, only if you can trust them. We don’t want this getting out.” 

Vanessa nodded in agreement. She felt Mrs. Weasley let go of her hand. 

Kingsley and Moody left promptly afterward, and everyone broke off to talk to one another. Snape came to her side. 

“A word of caution, Miss Diggory. Your housemates aren’t going to talk about these things with you openly. You’re friends with people they don’t like. I would consider breaking ties from those who associate with Potter while you’re doing this.” 

He turned and left a moment later, not giving her time to respond. She stood there, staring after him, unsure of what to say or do. Mrs. Weasley was back at her side a moment later. She looked sad now. 

“Please don’t be mad at me, Mrs. Weasley.” 

The older woman looked at her and smiled. “I’m not, dear. I’m just worried about you. If someone finds out what happened, if you get caught, you could be in serious trouble. I promised your mother I would look after you. I lost my brothers in the first war. I know what you’re feeling.” 

Vanessa hugged her again. She was grateful to have someone who cared for her. “Are Fred and George here?” 

“Yes, and they’ll be happy to see you. They’ve been so worried about you. As soon as they got the letter that you had left, they were ready to Apparate to Romania. But I talked them both down, letting them know you needed your time.” She lowered her voice so the others couldn’t hear her. “I can tell my boys care about you very much, George in a different way though. I think you feel the same way about him.”

“I didn’t want to hurt him.” 

“You’ll hurt him more if you're not honest. Honest with him and honest with yourself. I’ll support you, no matter what you decide.” 

“Where is their room?” 

“Up the stairs, third floor, second door on your right. I’ll get you set up in the room right next to theirs. Oh, and dear, it’s good to see you again.” 

Vanessa smiled and then Disapparated. A moment later, she was standing in an untidy bedroom. The only reason she knew it was their room was because of the moving photo of the three of them sitting on a nightstand. She picked it up and looked at it, smiling. It was a picture of the three of them the summer before their fifth year when the Weasleys had returned from Egypt. 

“Who are you, and what are you doing in our room?” 

She set the picture down and smiled, before turning around. “You don’t recognize your own best friend, George?” 

“Bloody hell!” They said together. 

“So you finally decided to come back then?” asked Fred. She could tell by the tone in his voice that he was upset by her leaving.

“And what’s that on your back?” asked George. 

“Of course I came back. I wasn’t planning on staying forever, though they did offer me a job. I needed time away from everything to clear my head. I just lost my brother. And this,” she turned around and pulled down one of the straps to her tank top. “It’s one of the tattoos I got for my brother.” She turned around and showed them the badger on her wrist. “This is the other.” 

“Your hair looks nice,” George said, bringing a hand up to touch her shorter locks. 

“Thanks. Look, I know you’re both probably furious with me for leaving as I did, and for not writing, but being in Romania helped me. Granted, I was still having nightmares until I finally brewed a sleeping draught.” 

The twins closed the space between them and hugged her tightly. She hugged them back again, doing everything in her power not to start crying. “I missed you both so much. You have no idea.” 

“Just don’t do it again, okay?”

She looked up at both of them. “I’ll try not to.” She pulled away and went to sit on the nearest bed. 

“So what are you doing here anyway? I thought you weren’t due back for another few weeks,” George asked. The twins sat down on either side of her, almost as if they didn’t want her leaving again.

“And why did you have a meeting with the Order?” Fred asked. 

“I just decided to come home and see everyone and how everything was going. I was told that you were all here, and it’s where I should be too for my safety. And it wasn’t a meeting. They just wanted to introduce me to everyone.” 

“So, how was your summer?” 

She leaned her head on George’s shoulder and began to tell them all about her time on the reserve, her new friends, going to see a Quidditch game, and getting drunk on her last night. They both looked at her as though she was a different person than the one who left them a month ago. 

“So you and Vicky together again?” The tone in George’s voice had changed. She could tell he was annoyed that she had spent time with the Bulgarian over the summer. 

“We aren’t together. We were never really together in the first place. We’re just good friends is all.” 

“Yeah, I don’t see you making out with any of your other friends,” George said sarcastically. 

Thankfully she didn’t get to respond, as Mrs. Weasley was busting in on the three of them. “Vanessa, your room is ready, you can get settled, and then the three of you can come down to the kitchen. Dinner is waiting.” 

“Can’t we just throw another bed in here and she can stay with us,” Fred asked his mother. 

“No, she needs her own room. I’m sure she’ll be happier on the bigger bed next door anyway.” Mrs. Weasley left, and the three of them stood up. 

Vanessa went to go check out her room. When she opened the door, she saw what Mrs. Weasley was talking about. The bed in this room was much bigger than the twins’ beds in their room. She went and put her bag down and took another look around the room. It was dark and reminded her of the dungeons. There was a sitting area in the corner and a wardrobe against the wall, but other than that, the room was pretty bare. 

“I guess it pays to be a girl. Hermione and Ginny got a nice room too,” George said from behind her. 

“Trust me, being a girl isn’t all that great.” 

“Vanessa, you’re here!” Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Harry had walked into the room. Mrs. Weasley must have let them know of her arrival. Everyone took turns hugging her, and she caught the younger boys taking in her new appearance, earning a glare from Fred and George and a smack from Hermione. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys I was coming. I didn’t know myself until a few days ago.” 

“Well, we’ve got so much to tell you,” Ginny said, grabbing Vanessa and pulling her out of the room, followed closely by Hermione. 

“Did she do something different to her hair,” Ron asked, staring after them when they left. George smacked him on the back of the head. 

“Stop looking, Ron.” 

The group made their way down to the kitchen. The girls all sat together next to Tonks, who started showing them all her Metamorphmagus abilities.

“Bloody girls taking her away from us,” George said to Fred under his breath. 

Everyone caught up with one another, talking about the last month and how everything was going. Charlie told the table on multiple occasions how brilliant Vanessa had been over the summer and how he hoped she would come back permanently when she graduated, much to the twins’ dismay. 

The two sat wondering if something had happened between their best friend and older brother in the month she was away. They knew Charlie had found her attractive, and they had shared an apartment while she was there. Fred thought about using some Veritaserum on her later that night to get more details about her summer. 

While she was away, the twins worked on more items for the joke shop they wanted to open up. They spent most of their time at headquarters locked up in their room trying different charms, spells, and potion ideas. They had decided to brew a batch of Veritaserum, which was a rather complicated and lengthy process. Still, they had perfected it, testing it out on Ron and getting him to admit his feelings for Hermione. 

She felt their eyes on her the whole time they were at dinner. Vanessa was catching up with Hermione and Ginny, who told her how distraught the twins seemed to be without her and how they holed up in their room the whole time working on new products. She wondered if they would make her test some of them out again like they had the summer before. They also told her about Harry’s use of magic and how he had a trial coming up at the Ministry for it. 

After listening to everything that had happened, she was glad she had gotten away for awhile. 

“So what’s with the tattoos,” Hermione asked, looking at Vanessa’s shoulder. 

“I wanted something to remember my brother by. So I got this little badger and the dragon that he faced in the first task of the tournament last year. Which by the way, that dragon’s eggs had hatched the same night Cedric-” she broke off. 

The girls knew perfectly well what she was about to say. They both gave her a reassuring hug. 

Mrs. Weasley served dessert, and afterward, everyone went their own ways. Ginny and Hermione went off to the room they were sharing, followed by Ron and Harry. Vanessa made her way to her bedroom, wanting to get ready for bed. 

Once she had changed into her pajamas, she heard a knock at her door. “Come in,” she said, not bothering to turn around. She knew it was them. 

“We brought you a cup of tea.” 

“Thanks, Fred.” 

She turned around and took the cup from them. They had a devious look on each of their faces. She looked down at the cup and then back up at them. There was no way they would poison her, she knew that much. But the Earl Grey scent was too enticing. She took a sip before setting the cup down on her dresser and sitting on the bed. 

The twins got on the bed and sat next to her. “So, did anything happen between you and Charlie while you were away? He was speaking very highly of you at dinner,” Fred asked.

Vanessa tried to stop herself but proceeded to tell them about her time with their older brother. “Well, Charlie was wonderful. He stayed with me almost the whole time I was there. See, I was having nightmares again, and after the first few nights, he just decided to stay with me and make sure I was okay.” George looked over her head at his brother, anger and jealousy apparent by the look he had given. 

“Then, I finally brewed a sleeping draught to help, but he still stayed with me, which I honestly didn’t mind. It was comforting to have someone there, like when you two stayed with me the night before I left. And then he stayed with me again last night, taking care of me since I was drunk. Then, before we Apparated here, he kissed me. But it wasn’t a long kiss, or a very passionate one at that, just a friendly kiss. Not how my kisses with Viktor were.” 

She covered her mouth, not believing that she had just rambled on and told them all that. She looked at George, who had an annoyed expression on his face. 

“And that’s all that happened? What about with Viktor?” Fred asked. 

“Nothing else happened between your brother and I. He was a perfect gentleman who was worried about both of your feelings. As for Viktor, when we saw each other, we talked a bit, but mainly kissed a lot.” 

“Anything else,” Gorge asked. 

“Not really. I was mainly working. I cried a lot over my brother and finally figured out how I felt about you, George.” She knew when the final words came out of her mouth that they had slipped her something. She wouldn’t have said all this voluntarily. “I think you two should leave.” 

“Why?” they spoke in unison. 

It all started to come together. How could she have been so stupid? 

“While I’m very impressed that you were able to brew Veritaserum all on your own, I’m beyond pissed off that you would use it on me.” 

She could feel the anger rising inside of her, but she was trying to suppress it. She was reminded of when she caused her father to be slammed against the trophy room wall at Hogwarts months before. As angry as she was, she didn’t want to hurt them. 

“Vanessa, we-” George started, but she cut him off. 

“Get out now.” 

They both silently got up from the bed and moved towards the door, neither saying a word. With a wave of her wand, she forcefully slammed the door behind them before taking the cup of tea on the nightstand and throwing it against the wall she knew was shared with their room. She proceeded to put up a silencing charm on her room, not wanting to be bothered and not wanting anyone to hear the swear words that were coming out of her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your continued support of this story! If you are enjoying it, please remember to leave some love!


	13. Boggarts

Vanessa woke early the next morning. She was still so mad about the events that had transpired the night before that she didn't even want to see the twins. She grabbed some clothes from her trunk and went to find the bathroom. She showered and changed, opting to let her hair air dry.

She went down to the kitchen, where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were talking with Charlie. The three looked up when they heard her enter.

"I'm sorry, I can come back later."

"Don't be silly, dear. Sit down, and I'll make you a cup of tea. Charlie is just getting ready to head back to Romania.

Vanessa was a little disappointed by the news, and it showed on her face.

"Don't worry, Nessa. I'll be back for the holidays. Going to be weird not having you around the place anymore."

"This Order work isn't going to be as fun as working with the dragons either."

Mrs. Weasley returned a moment later with a cup of Earl Grey tea, which she set down in front of Vanessa.

"You two seem to have gotten along well while you were there then," Mrs. Weasley asked.

They both nodded. So much had happened in that month, and she wanted to savor the memories. She and Charlie grew closer as friends that summer, and she would be forever grateful for that.

"Well, I best be off. Mum, Dad, it was great seeing you again. Nessa, good luck." Charlie hugged both of his parents and then Vanessa.

"I'll walk you out."

The two walked to the door in silence. "Thank you again for everything, Charlie. It meant a lot. And ignore any hateful mail your brothers might be sending your way."

Charlie raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously. Before he could ask what happened, she rolled her eyes.

"They slipped Veritaserum into my tea last night. I told them everything."

"Those prats don't know when to stop."

She just shrugged and hugged him again. 

"I'll see you soon then."

"Yeah, see you soon." He kissed her on the cheek before turning around and leaving the house.

She walked back to the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley had started to make breakfast. She sipped on her tea, asking if she could help with anything.

"Not with breakfast, but we've been cleaning the house and would love some help with that when you're finished with breakfast. We think there's a Boggart in the drawing-room upstairs. We're going to have Moody take a look tonight to be sure."

"If it is, I would be more than happy to take care of it."

"Thank you, dear. We would appreciate that."

Mrs. Weasley waved her wand, and a plate of food appeared in front of Vanessa and Mr. Weasley.

"Did you settle in last night? I know it's not home."

"Yes, thank you." 

She didn't want to talk about what the twins had done. She didn't even want to think about it. Cleaning the house would be the perfect way to avoid the twins that day, or so she thought.

With a faint pop, both boys Apparated behind her and took a seat on either side of her, their mother setting plates of food down in front of them.

"Thanks, Mum," they said in unison.

"Since you're both up, you can help Vanessa with cleaning the drawing-room. Since you know what needs to be gotten rid of and what can stay."

They just nodded and proceeded to eat their food. She felt so uncomfortable and wanted to hex the two on the spot. When she finished eating, she got up and took her plate and teacup to the sink, and thanked Mrs. Weasley for breakfast.

She hadn't explored the house at all the night before, so she opted to look around. Anywhere was better than where the twins were. Upon talking to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley that morning, she found that the screaming picture in the hallway had been Sirius' mother. The portrait would come to life anytime a loud noise was made.

Entering what she suspected to be the drawing-room, she looked around. She heard the desk in the corner shaking and realized that was what Mrs. Weasley assumed must have been a Boggart. She took out her wand, lit the lamps in the dark room, and started looking at all the artifacts. She could tell some of them had possessed dark magic.

"That's some of what we've got to get rid of," a voice said behind her.

She turned to see George had just entered the room, standing several feet away from her and looking cautious.

"If you tell me everything that needs to be disposed of, I can do it myself. I don't need your help or Fred's."

He started to walk closer to her. 

"Nessa, we never meant to upset you. We just wanted to know what was going on with you. We hadn't heard from you in over a month, and then you just showed up here."

"So you slip me some Veritaserum? If I wanted to tell you things, I would have. But you don't need to know everything. I knew me seeing Viktor again would bother you. I knew telling you Charlie shared my bed would upset you. That's why I wasn't going to tell you. I'm sure you two don't tell me everything you do."

"Vanessa, come on, we feel terrible about this."

"Then where's Fred with his apology? Or are you here to speak for the both of you like usual?"

"That's not true."

She twirled her wand between her fingers, so tempted to hex him. 

"Sure, Georgie."

He closed the space between them, taking her free hand in his. She could see in his eyes that he was genuinely sorry. But she couldn't forgive him that easily.

"Just show me what needs to be taken care of, please." She spoke calmly, not wanting to cause an outburst, and wake the portrait of Mrs. Black, let alone the whole household.

George dropped her hand and pointed at the cupboards. 

"Sirius doesn't care much about this stuff, so it can all be thrown out. Mum wants the cobwebs cleaned and anything that can be done to the carpets and furniture to make the place look a little less frightening. I'll go get you some bags for the garbage."

Vanessa took out her wand and waved it several times in multiple directions while George left the room. Fred had been standing right outside with the bags in his hands. 

"So she doesn't want our help?"

"Doesn't want anything to do with us more like it. I told you we shouldn't have used the Veritaserum on her. You can bring her those. I think if she sees me again, she might hex me."

Fred nodded and walked into the room. Vanessa had already cleaned all of the dust off the shelves in the cabinets holding all the Black family valuables.

"Don't bother speaking to me, Fred. I have nothing to say to you. Just leave the bags on the couch."

"We really are sorry." But he left it at that. He set the bags down where she had asked and stalked out of the room and after his brother.

Time seemed to fly by. She had four bags of garbage from everything she had cleaned out of the cabinets. Thankful for her magic, she didn't have to touch some of the items, worried they could be cursed. She had cleaned the carpet and furniture in the room, dusted all the surfaces, and cleaned the walls of the thick dust that had previously lay upon them.

When Mrs. Weasley walked into the room several hours later, she gasped. 

"Vanessa, you've made more of an improvement in one room than the rest of the kids have since they've been here." 

She turned to Mrs. Weasley and smiled. 

"My pleasure. Let me know if there is anything else you need me to clean. And I think you're right about the Boggart in the drawer."

"Dear, you should go upstairs and get cleaned up. You've got more dust on your clothes and hair than the walls did when you first started. Lunch will be ready soon." She laughed and ushered her out of the room and up the stairs.

Vanessa did as she was told, and when she was finished with her second shower of the day, she went back into her room and pulled out a book from her trunk to read. She had just sat down on the chair in her room when Hermione and Ginny walked in.

"What happened with the twins?" Ginny asked, sitting on the couch next to where Vanessa was seated. Hermione followed, sitting next to Ginny.

Knowing she couldn't keep much from the two girls, she proceeded to tell them what the twins had done the night before and what she had told them. Their eyes were both wide with shock when she finished the story. 

"They could have hurt you if the potion wasn't made properly," Hermione stated.

"Those two just never learn, do they?" Ginny questioned.

"Don't worry about it, Gin. I'm just not talking to them right now. I'm sure I'll get over it eventually. It's just irritating, is all."

They continued to talk until Harry and Ron had come to get them for lunch. When they walked into the kitchen, Fred and George were already eating. Remus and Sirius were also there. Vanessa sat between Ginny and Hermione, and the trio continued their discussion from upstairs.

Once lunch was finished, Mrs. Weasley sent everyone but Vanessa back to work, claiming she had already done enough for the day. Vanessa insisted she could do more, but Mrs. Weasley wasn't hearing any of it.

She went back to her bedroom and started the book she hadn't been able to earlier. She must have read for several hours, because around six o'clock, Mrs. Weasley was knocking on her door to let her know dinner was ready.

When she came down to the kitchen, Moody, Kingsley, and Tonks had come to join everyone for dinner. The only open seat at the table was currently between Fred and Moody, so she took it. She ate in silence, occasionally talking to Moody about being an Auror.

Moody had confirmed that it was indeed a Boggart in the drawing-room. Lupin had offered to take care of it, but Vanessa once again said she would deal with it. No one seemed to object.

Fred had leaned over to her during dessert and looked concerned. 

"Doesn't your Boggart turn into your Dad? Do you really want to see that?"

"Yes, it does, but I want to help out while I'm here. And a Boggart is easy enough to get rid of."

Once everyone finished eating, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny went upstairs to their rooms, while everyone else remained in the kitchen for some tea. Vanessa had excused herself to take care of the Boggart.

When she had learned about Boggarts in her third year, her Boggart had taken the shape of her father. But she wasn't young and naive anymore to let it bother her. She didn't even stop to think about it taking the shape of something else.

She approached the shaking desk cautiously and opened the drawer. Vanessa held her wand in her hand, waiting to see the figure of her father, but it never appeared. Instead, there on the floor lay the lifeless body of her brother, just as he had looked the day he was killed, but then it changed. George was lying in front of her dead before Fred took his place. Then her brother returned. And it kept switching between the three.

Vanessa screamed, tears streaming down her face as she looked upon the dead bodies of the people she loved the most. 

"Make it stop, please make it stop," she yelled. She moved to the corner of the room, the bodies of Cedric, Fred, and George following her, until she collapsed. "No, please."

Lupin came into the room, followed by the twins and Mrs. Weasley, who had gasped at the sight of her son's bodies on the floor. The bodies vanished, and a full moon appeared. 

"Riddikulus," Lupin spoke clearly, and the Boggart vanished.

The twins went to her side, holding her and trying to calm her down. But she couldn't stop seeing their dead bodies flash before her eyes. Lupin leaned down in front of her and offered her a piece of chocolate. Did he always carry this stuff around? She wondered. She took it from him, taking a bite between sobs.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm so sorry. You didn't need to see that. No one needed to see that. My Dad, I thought it would be my Dad again. I'm sorry." 

She was barely audible between crying and trying to eat her chocolate.

The twins had finally gotten her to her feet, George with an arm around her and Fred holding her hand. Mrs. Weasley looked at her with sad eyes, as if she understood. Little did Vanessa know that Mrs. Weasley's Boggart was similar to her own. The matriarch of the Weasley family's Boggart took the shape of her husband, all of her children, and Harry, all of whom appeared dead. Thankfully that was not the real case.

"Get her up to her room, both of you. I'll make some tea to help calm her down." 

Fred and George nodded at their mother. 

"I'll bring more chocolate for her," Lupin said, following Mrs. Weasley.

The picture of Mrs. Black had come to life, but someone quickly took care of her. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny came into the room, looking worried.

"What happened?" Ginny asked, looking from Vanessa to her brothers.

Vanessa was still crying, holding onto both boys for dear life.

"Let's get you back to your room, Nessa," George whispered in her ear. But she still couldn't move. Instead, he picked her up, cradling her in his arms. Her hand left Fred's, and George left the room with her.

Ginny blocked Fred from leaving. 

"What the bloody hell did you two do to her now?"

"It was the Boggart Gin. It used to be her Dad, but it's not anymore. She saw Cedric the night he was killed, and then George and I, dead. Our bodies kept switching with one another. It was a bit frightening."

He pushed past his sister to follow George.

When they got to her room, Gorge put Vanessa on her bed. She had curled up into the fetal position, not looking at either of them. She just continued to apologize. 

George sat on the bed next to her, rubbing her back, trying to help calm her down. Mrs. Weasley appeared moments later, carrying a tray with a pot of tea and chocolate, which she sat on the nightstand. 

As if silently speaking amongst themselves, the twins left the room, closing the door behind them. Mrs. Weasley took George's spot. 

"There, there dear, it's going to be alright." 

She felt like a child. All this worry because she couldn't get it together and take out a Boggart. She was so disappointed in herself but still haunted by the sight she saw. What if that was the future? She had already lost her brother. What if she lost the twins too? What if she never got the chance to tell George she loved him. She sat up and hugged Mrs. Weasley, crying onto her shoulder. 

"I'm so scared." 

"I know you are. You lost your brother not long ago. No one can blame you for feeling this way." 

"But the twins are still here. And I can't think about losing them. I wish you didn't have to see that." 

Mrs. Weasley continued to hold her. 

"You can't control it. I know that. After my brothers died during the first war, I would see them when I had to deal with a Boggart. Then it became Aurthur and the children. But it did tell me one thing." 

Vanessa broke away from Mrs. Weasley and looked at her. 

"What's that?" 

"You've known them all your life. You clearly have feelings for George. His body stayed longer than the other two. Just tell him how you feel. Life is too short." 

"I know I shouldn't feel that way about him, but I do." 

"There is a war coming, Vanessa. Now isn't the time to hide your feelings. As I said before, you have my support no matter what you decide to do." She leaned down and kissed the younger girl's forehead before standing from the bed. "I'm sure they both want to see you. So I'll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything." 

"Mrs. Weasley, thank you." 

She nodded her head as she walked to the door. The twins were standing in the hallway.

"She needs to rest, so don't be too long," she heard her say as the twins came into the room. George sat next to her on the bed again, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close to him. Fred stood in front of them, wanting to give them space. He wished they would both just come out with how they felt about each other. He hated keeping this secret from both of them.

"I can't believe I couldn't stop it."

They both looked at her, concern and sadness on their faces.

"You were scared," Fred said. 

"You shouldn't have seen that. None of you should. Your poor mother." 

"Hey, Mum understands, and so do we," said George. 

"Why is it I can never stay mad at the two of you for very long?" 

"We're charming," they said in unison.

"If you ever slip something into my drink again, I'll hex the both of you." 

"We are sorry about last night. We shouldn't have done that. It was more my idea than George's though."

"Thanks, Freddie." 

"We should let you sleep, so Mum isn't yelling at us later," George said. 

"No," Vanessa started. "Please don't go." 

"Are you sure?" they asked, looking down at her. 

She nodded her head and got out of the bed to grab her pajamas. She went to the bathroom to change, and when she came back, George was still there waiting for her. 

"Where did Fred go?" 

"We decided to take shifts. He can stay with you tomorrow night." 

She got into bed and burrowed under all the blankets. George turned out the lights in the room before getting into bed next to her. He pulled her close to him, and she rested her head on his chest. He never wanted to let her go, not after everything that had happened over the last few months. He cared about her, and she cared about him. It was just a matter of them finally telling each other and doing something about it.


	14. The End of the Summer

Vanessa woke the next morning, wrapped in George's arms. He was still sound asleep, and she didn't want to wake him by getting out of bed. She felt so safe and comfortable being in his arms, and she realized she didn't want the twins switching on and off to stay with her. She wanted George and only George.

She snuggled in closer to him, eventually falling back to sleep. That was until Fred had burst into the room about an hour later, waking them up. "Oi lovebirds, Mum wants me to tell you breakfast is ready."

"Bloody hell Fred, you don't have to shout," she said, throwing a pillow at him.

"Well, if I didn't yell, you wouldn't wake up." He left the room and closed the door behind him.

She turned over and looked at George, who was rubbing his eyes. "You sleep okay?" he asked.

"I did, better than I have in a while. Sorry, you had to stay and look after me."

"You should know by now that I don't mind looking after you."

She blushed, turning to look away from him. She got out of bed and stretched. 

"Well, I appreciate it, Georgie. Now come on, before your Mum is up here yelling at us next."

They walked down to the kitchen together, not bothering to change from their pajamas, much like the rest of the occupants of the kitchen, except for Mrs. Weasley and Sirius. When they entered, Vanessa saw Fred smirking at her, and she rolled her eyes.

Mrs. Weasley magically set plates down in front of Vanessa and George as they sat down, and both thanked her.

"Did you sleep alright, Vanessa?" Mrs. Weasley asked, taking a seat next to Ginny.

"I did, thank you. And again, I'm sorry about last night. I've never not been able to get rid of a Boggart before."

She didn't want to talk about it anymore. The memories of the night before were still swimming in her mind, and she wanted them gone.

Mrs. Weasley had proceeded to tell the table that Mr. Weasley had taken Harry to the Ministry for his hearing. She wasn't going to make any of them clean the house that day, as they were all worried about the outcome of Harry's hearing.

Ron had also informed Sirius that his house-elf, Kreacher, had been rummaging through the garbage bags full of dark artifacts, which Sirius wasn't happy about. 

During her short time at Grimmauld Place, the only house-elves she had seen were the heads that lined the staircase. However, she wasn't surprised that Sirius' family would have one. They were an old pureblood family, and almost all of the families had a house-elf or two at their disposal. It made her think of Dobby, the house-elf who had tried to help Harry in his second year but ended up doing more damage than good. She had also seen Dobby on her trips to the Hogwarts kitchens with Fred and George, and he was always so happy to see friends of Harry Potter.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Fred, who was elbowing her in the side. 

"What?"

He leaned in and whispered so that no one else could hear them. 

"So did you and George talk about your feelings last night?"

"No, I was a little traumatized by my Boggart. Sorry to disappoint you."

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this secret for you."

"What are you two whispering about over there," George asked curiously, leaning in to listen to them.

"It's nothing, George. Fred just wanted to know how I was doing."

She finished her food, not noticing George glance over at his brother. When she finished eating, she excused herself and went back to her room, wanting to get dressed and ready for the day.

While she was in her room organizing her trunk from her trip to Romania, the twins were in the next room over, talking about the night before and Fred's exchange with Vanessa and breakfast.

"George, nothing is going on between us. I was just talking to her."

"Talking to her so low no one else could hear you? Seems suspicious."

"You're so in love with her that it's driving you crazy. You just need to tell her how you feel already. I'm tired of being stuck in the middle of this."

"But I can't tell her. It would ruin everything, Freddie."

"You haven't been yourself since she left. And now that she's back, it's almost worse. I mean, the fact that you think something would be going on between us when I know good and well how you feel about her. Come on."

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm feeling like this."

"Do I have to repeat it? You're in love with her! You have been since our fourth year, don't deny it."

"Who's he in love with?" Ginny asked, walking into her brother's room.

They looked at each other, then back at her. "No one, you didn't hear anything, Gin," Fred said quickly.

Ginny shut the door behind her, a massive grin on her face.

"You like Vanessa, don't you? Oh, I knew it!"

"Ginny, I swear to Merlin, if you tell her, I'll-" George started.

"You'll what, hex me? I'm quicker than you. Plus, I'll tell Mum, and she won't like that very much. Besides, I was just messing around to get you to tell me." She smirked deviously at her brothers.

"Gin, please."

"Calm down, George. Your secret is safe with me. But I think you should tell her."

"Oh, like you've told Potter how you feel about him?"

She glared at him, cursing him under her breath before walking out of the room. None of them knew that Vanessa had been listening to their conversation from her room. 

When Harry returned to Grimmauld Place later that day, it was with the news that he would indeed be going back to Hogwarts on the first of September. Mrs. Weasley prepared a celebratory dinner that night for everyone.

That night, George stayed with her again, claiming that Fred had preferred to sleep alone, though he was doing it so his brother could spend more time with Vanessa. As she fell asleep in his arms, he looked up at the ceiling of the room, contemplating if he should tell the girl next to him how he felt about her.

After about half an hour, she had started to mumble in her sleep. George had been so close to falling asleep himself that the action startled him. He couldn't completely understand what she was staying at first, but the more it went on, the clearer she started to sound.

"Please don't kill him. I don't want him to die. I don't want any of them to die. I love you, George, I always have."

His eyes widened as he looked down at his best friend. He figured he hadn't heard her right, but she kept repeating herself over and over again for at least ten minutes before she eventually stopped and started lightly snoring again. He suddenly felt the need to leave, knowing he shouldn't have heard what she had said, even if it was in her sleep. He slowly got out of bed, careful not to wake her as he went.

He left the room and went back into the room he shared with his brother, slightly annoyed that Fred was still awake.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm just going to stay in here tonight."

"You're lying, Georgie. You know you can't do that with me. Now tell me what happened."

"She was talking in her sleep. She must have been having a nightmare or something because she kept saying, 'don't kill him,' and 'I don't want them to die.' And then she said, 'I love you, George, I always have.'"

"Bloody hell mate, you sure she wasn't awake?"

"Positive, because she went back to her cute little snores right after."

Fred laughed. "You must be in love if you think her snores are cute."

George rolled his eyes and went to his bed. He was more confused than before. Was it possible she felt the same way about him?

The next morning, Vanessa woke up alone in her bed. She figured George had just gotten up before her. She got dressed and went down to the kitchen to have breakfast with the few people who were up at that time, but George was nowhere to be found. When they were finished, Mrs. Weasley led Vanessa into another room of the house, and the two began cleaning. This room had been slightly more challenging to clean, thanks to the nest of doxies who had made a home there.

It took them almost half the day to dispose of all of them, some mysteriously vanishing into Fred and George's pockets when they came to see what had been going on. When they had finally finished, Mrs. Weasley had set off to make an early dinner for everyone, while Vanessa went to clean herself up. She almost laughed at her appearance in the mirror, as dirt and dust were splattered across her face.

She had been in her room reading when Fred came in to talk to her. 

"You talk in your sleep. Did you know that?"

"How would I know that if I'm asleep when it's happening?" She rolled her eyes at his question.

"Well, George said he heard you talking, and at the end of it all, you said that you loved him and always had."

Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. She had recalled the dream she had the night before. Death Eaters had surrounded the lot of them, and she begged and pleaded for them not to harm anyone. In her dream, she had finally admitted her feelings to George, but she was mortified that she had been talking aloud in her sleep.

"Looks like you'll finally have to tell him how you feel. You can't hide it anymore."

She threw her book down on her bed and stood up. 

"I can't. Not now. Not with what I have to do."

Fred looked at her curiously. 

"What are you talking about?"

"I have to tell you both something."

She took his hand and pulled him out of the room and into the room next door. George was sitting on the floor, going over what looked like an order form. Vanessa sat down next to him and looked over at what he was filling out.

"George, focus for a minute." He looked up at her, not realizing she had entered the room. "I have to tell you something, and you both have to swear you won't tell anyone. I'm going to tell Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Harry soon too."

They both nodded their heads, and she proceeded to tell them about her meeting with the Order and what she would be doing at Hogwarts this year.

"So what you're saying is, to be undercover, you can't be seen hanging around with us because that would look suspicious?" Fred asked.

"Exactly. Most of my housemates like me but don't fully trust me because you two are my best friends. It's not like they're going to tell me things if you two are hanging around me all the time. I honestly don't think they'll be very open talking about Voldemort, but I still have to listen for any chatter."

George looked almost heartbroken. "Why did you even agree to do this?" he asked.

"For my brother."

They both understood, but it didn't make it any easier. 

"So what, do we have to have some massive fight when we get to school? Show everyone we're not friends anymore?" George asked.

"Or we just go into school not talking to each other. I won't be able to share a compartment with you on the train as it is because I'm Head Girl. We could just make it seem as though we had a falling out over the summer or something. But we've still got time to figure it out, and it's not like it's going to be real."

"I guess we could try not to like you," Fred said, smiling at her.

"But it won't be easy," George said, turning back to his form.

"I thought your Mum had put a stop to all this?" She was back to looking at the order form.

"Please, we'll never be done with this. Not now that we've got the money to open a shop officially," Fred said.

"We're told we have you to thank for part of that," said George.

"Harry offered me the winnings because of Cedric. I merely told him I had no use for it and figured it would help the both of you out after Bagman cheated you both out of your money at the Quidditch World Cup last year."

"You're always looking out for us."

"Of course I am, Freddie. You're my two best friends. But I'm not testing any products, so don't ask."

"Don't you worry, we've got a plan for that."

She looked at them curiously before they both turned and looked at her, devious smirks upon their faces. 

"First years," Fred said.

"You can't do that. You'll be breaking so many school rules."

"Oh, that's right, we've got a Head Girl here. Shouldn't be telling her our plans, for fear of detention or something worse," George said, laughing with Fred.

She smacked him over the head. "Shut it, both of you."

They sat around the rest of the afternoon, laughing and talking about the different products they had been working on. They had even asked for Vanessa's input on various potions they wanted to sell.

The few weeks they had left in their summer holiday passed quickly. They finally found themselves headed to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies for the upcoming term. She did her shopping, as Fred and George had gone off on their own without her. She purchased new robes, shirts, and skirts for her final year, before making her way to Flourish and Blotts to get all the items she needed from her book list. Her last stop was Quality Quidditch Supply, where she purchased new Quidditch robes and a Broomstick Servicing Kit.

When they arrived back at headquarters that night, Mrs. Weasley had prepared a massive feast in honor of Hermione and Ron for becoming Prefects and Vanessa for becoming Head Girl. The kitchen was packed, as most of the Order members had joined them. Moody had told them all that they would be escorted to Kings Cross the next morning.

Once everyone finished with dinner, Vanessa had Ginny, Hermione, Harry, and Ron follow her to her room. She proceeded to tell them all the same thing she had told the twins a few weeks prior. All about her plan to get information out of her fellow housemates. They all understood and told her they would help her in any way that they could. Ginny and Hermione weren't happy that they wouldn't be able to spend as much time with her. Hermione knew she could pretend to talk about Prefect duties with her, but it wouldn't be the same.

When everyone had left to go back to their rooms, George came in, looking ready for bed. She couldn't help but smile. She had grown so used to being with him that she wasn't looking forward to being back at Hogwarts and putting up the facade that they weren't close anymore.

She left to go to the bathroom to change for bed, and when she returned, George had already made himself comfortable. She crawled into the bed and cuddled up next to him. He immediately started playing with her hair, which soothed her. 

"Nessa, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a while. I-," but she cut him off before he could say the words she knew were coming. 

"I know." She took his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. His hand fit perfectly in hers. "I do too. But we can't, not now. Not with everything going on." 

"You feel the same way?" 

"I have for a while now." 

They left it at that. The three little words they so desperately wanted to say to each other remained unspoken, but at that moment, they knew they didn't have to say it. Both knew now how the other felt. She fell asleep in his arms again that night. He fell asleep shortly after, both dreaming of a life where things were different, where Voldemort wasn't back, and where they could be together.


	15. Year Seven Begins

Neither George nor Vanessa wanted to get out of bed the next morning. They had been so content wrapped in each other's arms all night that neither wanted to let go the next morning. But they both knew they had to. It was the first day of their last year at Hogwarts. 

"Can you believe it's our last first day of school?" 

"Nope, it's flown by. Though, Fred and I haven't put in as much work as you have, so that could be why."

"It's weird, going back without Cedric." She didn't want to cry, not today. 

"You've always got Fred and I."

"Even though we're supposed to be pretending not to be friends." 

They spent at least another half hour in bed together before finally deciding they needed to get up and get ready for their journey. 

Everyone was bustling to get their things together. Fred and George had bewitched their trunks and ended up knocking Ginny down two flights of stairs. Once everyone had eaten, and the last of the trunks and animal cages were brought down, they took off to Kings Cross with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Moody, Tonks, and Sirius, who was in his Animagus form. 

Platform 9 ¾ was bustling with families, all saying goodbye to their loved ones who were returning to Hogwarts or going for the first time. Vanessa said goodbye to everyone as best she could before boarding the train and taking off towards the Prefects compartment. 

Vanessa, along with Roger Davies, met with the prefects during the ride, telling them of their duties during the duration of the trip. They had a good batch of Prefects that year, though she was worried about Draco and Pansy. She had never liked Pansy. And Draco, well, she had heard of his home life and believed that played a part in why he was such a prat. Though she couldn't excuse the way he treated Hermione.

Arriving in Hogsmeade, Vanessa got off the train and helped usher the first years to the former Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Grubbly-Plank. She wondered where Hagrid was but figured it must be Order business with everything going on.

After getting the first years sorted, Vanessa ran into her Quidditch teammates, Graham and Adrian. The three grabbed a carriage up to the castle, both giving Vanessa their condolences again on Cedric before talking about their summers and the upcoming Quidditch season. 

"You look good, Diggory. The new hair suits you," Adrian said. 

"Thanks. I made a few much-needed changes over the summer." 

"Like dumping the Weasel twins. Don't you three normally go everywhere together?" Montegue added. 

"Changes, as I said." 

"Well, maybe one of your changes could be going out on a date with me?" Adrian added, smirking at her. 

"Maybe," she shrugged her shoulders. Even though she had turned him down the year before, she knew this year was different. She had to be friendlier with her fellow Slytherins.

"Playing hard to get, I like a challenge." 

When the carriage stopped, Adrian had helped her down. They walked up to the castle together, as he continued to ask her out multiple times, hoping she would go with him to Hogsmeade when the first trip came around. 

Everyone assembled in the Great Hall at their house tables, listening to the Sorting Hat's song about how the four houses should unite against the external, deadly foes that were threatening Hogwarts. While the students of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff all got along, it was Slytherin that was always divided from the rest. While some Slytherins did have friends in other houses, it wasn't a common occurrence. Slytherins had long been defined as the house that produced the worst kinds of wizards and witches, though that wasn't always the case.

At the end of the feast, Professor Dumbledore welcomed back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who would temporarily be substituting for Hagrid while he was away. Next, he introduced a toad-like woman who was dressed all in pink and wore a bow atop her head. Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, would be their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. 

The chatter around the room started almost immediately but soon died when the woman interrupted the rest of Dumbledore's speech. Most of the teachers looked speechless at this action, as no one had ever interrupted the Headmaster before. When the students were finally dismissed for the evening, Vanessa helped usher some first years to their houses before heading to her new dormitory. 

"Look forward to working with you this year, Diggory." 

"Me too, Davies. But I'm still going to crush you on the Quidditch pitch." 

"Look, I know I wasn't the first choice for this," Roger started before Vanessa cut him off. 

"We don't have to talk about that." 

"I'm here to talk if you need to. I know we aren't exactly friends, but as we'll be spending time together this year." 

"I appreciate that. Speaking of, we should probably get to patrolling the corridors." 

The next day was packed with classes. In potions, for the first time in her years at Hogwarts, she did not sit with Fred and George. Instead, she sat with Graham and Adrian, the latter of whom was still trying to convince her to go out with him.

"What a prat," George whispered to Fred. 

"Calm down, Georgie. You know she doesn't have feelings for Pucey." 

"Well, she's not exactly turning him down either." 

"Stop looking at her before someone says something." 

Their eyes met for a moment before she looked away. She focused her attention on what Professor Snape was going on about the N.E.W.T.s they would be taking at the end of the school year. 

Glad for the lesson to finally be over, she next made her way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. When Umbridge started going over her plan for the year, something in Vanessa wanted to scream at her. The Ministry was trying to hush up Harry and Dumbledor's accusations about Voldemort's return. She said that Cedric's death was a tragic accident but had nothing to do with a certain Dark Wizard's return to power. They weren't going to be using defensive magic, only reading about it. Umbridge didn't think they had anything to worry about. 

As Vanessa was packing up at the end of the lesson, Umbridge had called her to her desk. 

"Miss Diggory, it's a pleasure to meet you finally." Her voice was sickly sweet and made Vanessa feel ill. "I first would like to pass along my condolences on the tragic passing of your brother last year. I understand, however, that you are Head Girl. I hope that you know you can come to me with any problems you have with certain students or professors." 

"Thank you, Professor, but I've never had a problem with one of the other Professors. They've all been wonderful, and I wouldn't be top of my year without them." 

"Of course, dear." The older woman let out a small laugh. "I would like you to keep your ears open though, report back to me if you hear anything out of the ordinary going on." 

Vanessa looked down at her curiously. 

"Such as?"

"You're a smart girl. I'll leave you to use your better judgment on that. Feel free to stop by my office anytime. You may go now." 

She left the classroom as soon as she could. She wanted to talk to the twins, Hermione or Ginny, but she knew she had to keep her distance. 

The next week proved to be a busy one. Everyone had heard about Harry speaking out against Umbridge in class, earning him detention. Schoolwork had almost tripled in size for Vanessa. She, however, still found time to hold Quidditch tryouts for Beaters. She ended up choosing Crabbe and Goyle, knowing both of their fathers were Death Eaters. They weren't the best, there weren't many options to choose from, but she knew it needed to be done. 

It was announced on Monday of the next week that Umbridge had been made High Inquisitor of Hogwarts and that she would be inspecting classes. She had seemed to take an interest in Vanessa, as she was almost always asking her opinions on her professors, which she gave honestly. 

Most of her time the rest of the month had been spent between classes, the library, and doing her Head Girl duties. She had even been spending more time in the Slytherin common room, though as she predicted, no one was talking about Voldemort. Many of them had noticed the change in Vanessa, complimenting her on finally getting rid of her blood traitor and Mudblood friends. 

The day before their first trip to Hogsmeade was the day she finally got to talk to Hermione. While they made it look as though they were discussing Prefect duties, that wasn't the case. 

"We're getting a group of people together, people we think would be interested in learning about Defense Against the Dark Arts, properly. We're meeting at the Hog's Head tomorrow if you want to come." 

"Mione, make sure that you trust the people who are coming." 

"I've already bewitched a signup sheet. If they sign and tell anyone, well, let's just say they won't look very pretty afterward." 

Vanesa turned down Adrian's offer to go to Hogsmeade with him that weekend but said she would on the next trip. Since the first year, the two had been friends, but between Quidditch practice and spending time together in the Slytherin common room, things were changing. Her plan to fit in seemed to be working rather well. Even Draco and Pansy were more friendly with her than they had ever been.

She met up with the trio at the Hog's Head the next day, careful not to be seen by any of her fellow housemates. Several people were already there when she arrived, but she was the only Slytherin, which caused a bit of a commotion. 

"Shut it all of you. She's got every right to be here," Hermione piped up. 

"You shouldn't be too loud. You never know who's listening." 

There were some odd patrons in the room. Any one of them could have been spying for Umbridge. She went and stood against a wall, keeping her distance from most of the group. Fred and George walked in a minute later, noticing her standing there. She smiled half-heartedly at them both. She missed them, and they missed her.

After hesitation from several students and support of Harry and his accomplishments by others, everyone who had attended decided to participate, though some were more cautious about it than others. Vanessa lined up behind the twins, gently grabbing George's hand for a moment as she did so. She signed her name under his and then left quickly to head back to the school. 

The following Monday, another Education Decree had gone out, this time banning organizations, societies, teams, groups, and clubs, all of which would only be able to reform with Umbridge's approval. With pressure from her fellow teammates, Vanessa went to Umbridge to ask to reform the Slytherin team, which she allowed without hesitation. 

She planned out their practices for the next few weeks, wanting to be ready for the beginning of the season. 

Later that night, while patrolling the halls, an underclassman had come to her with a note from Dumbledore, asking to see her in his office. Upon arrival, she knocked on the door and was told to enter.

"Miss. Diggory, we need to talk. Please sit down." 

Vanessa did as she was told, walking further into the office and taking a seat at the desk across from the Headmaster. 

"Sir, if this is in regards to my job for the Order-," but Dumbledore put up a hand to stop her.

"It is actually in regards to the meeting you attended at the Hog's Head. While I won't ask you any details, I must inform you that the Order, as well as the Ministry, have spies everywhere. You must be careful with whom you are spending your time. Had Professor Umbridge been informed of who was at the meeting, I fear the punishment you would have received. As for your work for the Order, while I want you to keep an eye on your classmates still, I also want you to spend time with Professor Umbridge. I know it's not a pleasant scenario, but as she is working for the Ministry, having you on her good side could be of great value to us." 

"Of course, Professor, whatever you need." 

"Thank you, Miss Diggory. You are free to go." 

The first Dumbledore's Army meeting was scheduled for that Thursday at the Room of Requirement. Vanessa went on her own, as she was the only Slytherin, and figured it would be best not to draw attention to herself by going with other people. 

They practiced the disarming charm. She had partnered with Neville at his request. She helped him out as much as she could and slowly started to see improvements with him, though he still hadn't completely mastered it. At the end of the meeting, Hermione had given them all charmed coins, which would notify them of the upcoming meetings. 

Vanessa went about not talking to her friends, finding it harder and harder to do so as time passed. She and Adrian had finally gone to Hogsmeade together, which she had enjoyed, but he wasn't the one she wanted to be there with. The constant back and forth on if she was doing the right thing was slowly driving her crazy. 

She was relieved when their first Quidditch game arrived. She would be playing against her friends, but at least she would be able to get her frustrations out on the pitch. Draco had thought it would be funny to make a song mocking Ron's abilities as Keeper, which he titled 'Weasley is our King.' The song went on the entire match, which Vanessa found rather annoying. 

During the match, Vanessa had been hit with a bludger that had been intended for Adrian. She knew it was George who had done it by the look on his face after it connected with her arm. She took a moment to compose herself. Her arm was throbbing painfully, but she flew off to continue the match. Crabbe and Goyle were doing their best to hit bludgers at every Gryffindor team member they could. It was one of the most violent games she had been a part of. 

Harry caught the Snitch, ensuring Gryffindor's victory over Slytherin. As she touched down to the ground, Adrian rushed to her side to see if she was alright. But it was Draco they had to worry about. He had asked Harry and the twins what they had thought about the song he created and proceeded to provoke them until Harry and George attacked him. 

Both teams got involved in trying to break it up, but it was McGonagall who had finally stopped them, giving Harry and George detention for fighting. When back in the locker room, Vanessa started yelling at everyone, even Draco, for how they played that day. Her frustration had finally gotten the better of her, and she decided to take it out on them. 

Later that day, another Education Decree had gone out, this time giving Umbridge the right to strip students of all privileges. Umbridge then gave Harry, George, and Fred a lifetime Quidditch ban, even though Fred had not participated in the attack. Angelina approached Vanessa later that day, yelling at her for not having her team under control. 

"Just because your teammates have short fuses does not give you the right to come and yell at me."

Vanessa was not going to take this. It wasn't her fault that Draco was a prat. She had been trying to stop him for years, but it never worked. 

The two continued shouting back and forth at each other for several minutes until Umbridge approached them. "I will not have ladies yelling at each other. Miss Johnson, 10 points from Gryffindor." 

This angered Angelina further, as Umbridge had not taken any points from Slytherin. 

November feed into December. Hagrid had returned to teach Care of Magical Creatures and told Vanessa all about his plan for the rest of the year. She had found out that Hermione had told him to keep it simple, as Umbridge was watching, and Vanessa agreed. She didn't want him getting sacked. 

Vanessa still had no news to report on the Slytherin students, and her cozying up to Umbridge wasn't providing anything useful. It was making her loathe the old toad even more than she already did. 

Right before the holidays, the D.A. was notified of their final meeting that would be taking place until after the New Year. Many had given Vanessa the cold shoulder upon her arrival because of the actions at the Quidditch match. Angelina refused to talk to her, but Ginny reassured her that she knew it wasn't her fault. 

"Okay, we're going to practice stunning spells. We'll partner off and take turns. Make two lines and stand across from your partner. Ron, Hermione, you're up first." 

Hermione's stunning spell sent Ron flying into a wall in the Room of Requirement. Everyone took their turn with their partners, some showing more force in their stunning than others. Vanessa looked across from and saw Fred and George talking. She realized she and George would be partnered up together. 

She walked up to him, twirling her wand between her fingers like she so often did. 

"I'll be sure to take it easy on you." She spoke low enough so only he could hear her.

"Give me all you've got, sweetheart," he said, winking at her. 

She walked to one side of the room, clutching her wand in her hand and taking her stance. 

"On the count of three," Harry said. "One, two, three." 

"Stupefy," they shouted in unison. 

Red sparks emitted from both of their wands, as George was sent flying back in a similar fashion as Ron. Fred and Ginny were giving George a hard time when he finally stood up and rejoined them. 

The rest of the pairs went, and Harry announced that the meeting was over and that they would meet again sometime after the holiday. Vanessa said her goodbyes to Harry before taking off to do her nightly rounds. 

Much later that night, Vanessa returned to the common room, ready to finish her packing before the holiday. Roger rushed in after her moments later, holding out a letter for her. 

"This is from Dumbledore. I had run into him while I was doing my rounds by his office. Said it's important. He looked a little worried." 

"Thanks." She took the note and went into her room to read it. Mr. Weasley had been attacked at the Department of Mysteries, and the twins, Ron, Ginny, and Harry, were already at Grimmauld Place awaiting their mother's arrival. There weren't many details about what had happened, but Dumbledore suggested she go to Grimmauld Place to spend the holidays with the Weasleys and so that she could be with the Order. 

She decided that she would go to see her mother for a few days, then go to Grimmauld Place to be with the Weasleys. She wanted to see her mother. Cedric was gone, and her father had no recollection of their life together. She was all her mother had left. While she had been enjoying spending more time with her sister, Vanessa could tell by her mother's letters that she had missed her.

There weren't many people in the Great Hall when Vanessa went down to breakfast the next morning. Everyone was either still packing or still sleeping. Draco had entered the Great Hall shortly after her and took the empty seat next to her. 

"Morning, Draco." 

"Morning, Diggory." He looked around the hall for a moment, as if to make sure he wasn't being watched, and then leaned closer to her. "I don't know what you and your Gryffindor chums are up to, but you should know, Umbridge has an inkling that something is going on." 

She looked at him, not giving any indication that she knew what he was talking about. 

"Draco, in case you hadn't noticed, I haven't been spending any time with the Gryffindors this year. I've decided to sort out my priorities, and being friends with them isn't part of that." 

"You're a great Quidditch Captain, but you're a terrible liar. Look, I know I'm the last person you probably trust-," she put a hand up to stop him. 

"Draco, you're right. I don't trust you. I don't know what you're playing at here, but nothing is going on." 

"Look, I'm just trying to help you." 

Vanessa stood up suddenly, not wanting to listen to him anymore. 

"I don't need your help Draco. Now, if you'll excuse me." 

Vanessa made her way to Hogsmeade several hours later, walking with Adrian and discussing their holiday plans. The two shared a compartment, along with several other Slytherins in their year. Draco's words were still ringing in her ear though. Could he possibly have been genuine in his warning? Or was he just trying to goad her for information? Either way, she would be sure to talk to the Order about it when she saw them. 


	16. Holidays and Secret Valentines

Upon her arrival in London, Vanessa proceeded to Apparate to her aunt's home in Paris. She had only been there once before but wanted to make the most of her time. She had missed her mother dearly but was happy that she seemed to be doing so well. 

"I've missed you so much, Vanessa. You look beautiful. I love what you've done with your hair. Tell me, how has school been?" 

"Dreadful. The Ministry has sent this toad of a woman to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, though she believes that we don't need to learn defensive spells as no one is going to attack us. Other than that, I'm just getting ready for my N.E.W.T.s." 

"And how are George and Fred doing?" 

"Their father was attacked last night. I haven't talked to them since it happened. Honestly, I haven't talked to them much at all this year." 

She proceeded to tell her mother about helping the Order of the Phoenix and her involvement in Dumbledore's Army. Finally, she told her about needing to leave earlier than she had planned so that she could be with the Order.

Thankfully her mother understood. Along with her aunt, they spent the next week exploring the city, eating at various restaurants, and even visiting the French Ministry of Magic, where her aunt worked. 

Upon the last night of her stay, they had dinner at the house together and exchanged Christmas presents early. 

Every year for Christmas, Vanessa and Cedric would always take a new picture to give their mother. This year would be the final time it would happen. She and Cedric had taken a picture together shortly before the third task in the tournament, one she would cherish for the rest of her life.

Upon opening the gift, her mother had started to cry. "Sweetheart, when did you do this?" 

"Last school year, we wanted to get it done early. I had no idea it would be the last one we would take together." She gave her mother a long hug before turning to open her present, a beautiful silver necklace with emeralds and black diamonds. 

"Mum, this is beautiful." 

"I saw it and thought of you, my little Slytherin."

After her aunt went to bed for the evening, Vanessa and her mother stayed up until the early hours of the morning, talking and enjoying their time together. Their lives had changed so much since Cedric's death. They both missed each other but knew they were both doing the right thing for their individual lives. 

Vanessa left after a huge breakfast the next morning, promising her mother she would try to make it back during the summer holiday. She wanted to spend more time in the city and see more of the sights. 

Paris disappeared behind her as she Disapparated to Grimmauld Place. It looked just as it had the last time she had been there. A shabby home, hidden from Muggle eyes. She tapped her wand to the door and unlocked it. 

She left her trunk near the door and took off to see who was there. She knew the Weasleys would most likely be at St. Mungo's still. 

Entering the kitchen, she found Sirius, Remus, and Tonks all sitting around the table, talking amongst themselves. 

"Vanessa, how nice to see you. I didn't know you would be joining us," Remus said. 

"I had promised my Mum I would visit her, so I spent a week with her and my aunt in Paris. Dumbledore told me that I should be here for the holiday, though. Safer to be with the Order and all." 

"Well, you're free to take the room you stayed in over the summer. No one is using it," Sirius added. "The Weasleys should be back soon. They went to visit Arthur." 

"Is he doing better?" 

"Much better. He'll have to stay for a bit longer, but he's slowly getting back to his old self. Moody will also be by later for dinner." 

She proceeded to tell the three of them of her progress at the school and the cryptic warning from Draco that she couldn't shake. 

"That cousin of mine is a tosser, from what I hear. I don't know if I would listen to him," said Tonks.

"Wait, Draco is your cousin?" 

"Yeah, his mum, Narcissa, is my aunt. My Mum's sister. They also have a sister called Bellatrix. She's currently locked up in Azkaban. Tortured the Longbottoms during the first war, with her husband Rodolphus Lestrange, Barty Crouch Jr, and Rodolphus' brother Rabastan." 

"Bellatrix Lestrange? I've heard of her. One of the worst Death Eaters there was. And the Longbottoms? You don't mean Neville's parents." 

"Yes, Neville's parents. That's why he lives with his grandmother, but you must not mention it," Remus said. 

"Don't hold the sins of our family against us though," Sirius spoke. When he saw the confused look on Vanessa's face, he proceeded. "Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa are my cousins. You'll find most pureblood families are interconnected at some point."

They continued to talk about the Black family tree and other families they were tied to. Sirius had shown her the family tree when she went upstairs to bring her trunk into her room. 

She spent the rest of the afternoon talking and getting to know Tonks, who had told her so many stories about her time at Hogwarts with Charlie. 

Vanessa asked Tonks if Charlie had come back to be with his father and spend the holidays with his family. Tonks had told her Charlie had sent his regards but was too busy with things at work and with the Order to make it back.

When the Weasleys had arrived home later that night, the twins were surprised but very happy to see her. George wrapped her in his arms for the deepest hug he had ever given her. 

"I've missed you," he said under his breath. 

"I've missed you too." She heard the huffing noise over his shoulder and saw Fred standing behind George. "I missed you too, Freddie," she said, pulling away from George to hug his twin. 

"Hey, I know I never apologize for that bludger to the arm," George started, "but I was only aiming for Pucey." 

"Adrian is just a friend, George." 

She and George shared her bed again that night and every night for the remainder of the holidays. She had missed having his body lying next to hers, his warm arms holding her every night as she fell asleep. Sometimes they would stay up for hours, talking about anything and everything or just laying in each other's arms. 

When Christmas morning arrived, they both had presents on the nightstand. Fred and George had gifted her with a new quill and pot of ink, while she gave them each an assortment of products from Zonko's Joke Shop and sweets from Honeydukes. 

"Shopping at Zonko's? Couldn't wait till we opened up shop?" 

"Figured you could use some of it to cause a little mischief. It's been a little too quiet at school." 

"Freddie and I have something up our sleeve, don't you worry." 

The two got ready and headed down to the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley had prepared a delicious Christmas breakfast. Kreacher was back to spewing his hate, and Sirius told him to leave the kitchen. The elf wasn't seen by anyone for the remainder of the holidays. 

They all opened their gifts. Hermione had gotten her a book on dragons, and Mrs. Weasley had knitted her a Weasley family sweater, as she had every Christmas for most of her life. She put hers on immediately, always feeling a sense of belonging when she wore it. 

Mr. Weasley returned to Grimmauld Place toward the end of the holiday break, much to the relief of his family and the rest of the Order. 

Vanessa didn't want to think about returning to school, about having to continue with the facade that she wasn't friends with the Weasleys or Hermione and Harry. 

"Do you know how many times we passed under the mistletoe while we've been here?" 

"Several times, and I think my dear twin brother is to blame for that." George looked down into her eyes as they were lying in bed that night. "I want to wait to kiss you though, until all this pretending to not be in each other's lives is over." 

"But you do want to kiss me?" 

"I want to do that and so much more." 

"Do you remember in Potions class last school year, when we were studying Amortentia, I never told you what the third thing I smelled was. It was the Burrow. The first place I met you, and the first place I knew I had feelings for you." 

"Well, I'm sure you already knew the things I smelled reminded me of you." 

"I did. How long have you felt like this, George?" 

"Since our fourth year. You were so good trying to help Ginny when none of us knew what was going on with her. And then she was taken into the Chamber, and you were there for us. I don't know how to explain it. I just saw you in a whole different light and knew that my feelings were more than that of friendship. What about you?" 

"Fifth year, Christmas holidays. My father and I had gotten into a row about something before we came over, and I wasn't exactly in the Christmas spirit after that. But you found a way to cheer me up and make me smile. And then the two of us just sat in the garden for a while watching the gnomes running around in the snow before we went inside for dinner." 

"If I'm being honest, Fred would have gone out with me, but I told him not to." 

She smiled, laying her head on his chest once again, as he kissed the top of her head. Until that day came, they would both imagine what it would be like to be with one another finally.

Everyone was packed and ready to go the next morning. Moody had told Vanessa to take off to King's Cross before the rest of them to not raise suspicion by being seen with the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry. 

When she arrived at Platform 9 ¾, she was immediately greeted by Adrian, who had arrived shortly before her. The two talked about their holidays, though Vanessa bent the truth and said she had been with her mother the entire time. When the steam engine whistled, she made her way to the Head's compartment and found Roger Davies already there. The two met with the Prefects and gave them their assignments before heading back into their compartment. 

She and Roger talked about their plans for the rest of the school year and their excitement for the remainder of the Quidditch season. Unfortunately for Vanessa, it didn't look like Slytherin would be getting the Quidditch Cup this year. Even with the twins and Harry off the Gryffindor team, they were still performing well. 

Upon returning to Hogwarts, Vanessa put all her time and energy into studying for her upcoming N.E.W.T.s. She was determined to receive an O in all of her classes, just as she had done when she took her O.W.L.s. Unfortunately for her professors, having Umbridge evaluating them was not helping during classes. She was regularly interrupting the professors, which was annoying for both the professors and students. 

Defense Against the Dark Arts was proving to be a worse class than Divination. They were still not using spells, only learning about defensive magic. Umbridge would reiterate over and over again that they did not need to defend themselves against something that wasn't there. With the mass breakout of ten high-security Death Eaters from Azkaban, most agreed that they should be learning to protect themselves. A war was coming, but the Ministry did not want to admit it. 

Vanessa, determined to win the next Quidditch game against Hufflepuff, forced the team to practice long hours. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be performing better, though the two only wanted to hurt people and didn't necessarily care about the outcome of the match.

She continued to attend Dumbledore's Army meetings when they were held, much to the annoyance of several other members who had still not forgiven her for the events that happened during the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor Quidditch match. She ignored them all. She was there to learn and to support Harry and the rest of her friends. 

Vanessa had assisted Harry in teaching everyone to cast a Patronus charm. She had learned about them several years before and had already been able to conjure one. Thinking of her happiest memories, she was able to conjure her Patronus. The badger scurried around the room, along with several other silver animals other D.A. members had conjured. 

When February came around, Adrian had invited her to join him in Hogsmeade for Valentine's Day. She had politely turned him down. 

"It's nothing personal, Adrian. I do enjoy spending time with you. I'm just so busy with everything." 

"Well, maybe another time then?" 

"Of course." 

While the rest of the happy couples of Hogwarts took off to Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day, Vanessa spent most of the day locked up in her room. She finished the pile of homework she had and read ahead for some of her classes. By the time she finally finished with everything, it was already well past lunchtime. Having not eaten since dinner the night before, she left her room and took off to the kitchens.

The entrance hall was practically empty, except for a few stragglers heading off to the village. She took the staircase down to the kitchens and tickled the pear in the painting of a bowl of fruit. When the pear laughed and the green doorknob appeared, she made her way into the kitchen.

Part of her always felt a bit guilty for going to the kitchens. Hermione had started S.P.E.W., The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, the year before. She wanted to make a difference in the welfare and wellbeing of the house-elves. The house-elves of Hogwarts, however, seemed perfectly content with their lives.

"Miss Vanessa. A pleasure to see you again."

Vanessa looked down and smiled at the house-elf. He had been covered in various articles of clothing, most likely from Hermione. 

"Hello, Dobby. How are you?"

"I am doing well, Miss Vanessa. Can Dobby fix you a sandwich?"

"Yes, please, and I could use a Butterbeer too."

“Make that two Butterbeers, Dobby.”

Vanessa turned around to see George standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Right away, Mr. Weasley." Dobby hurried away, pushing several other house-elves out of his way as he went.

"I didn't think I would see you today."

"Well, I was up in Gryffindor tower alone and fancied something sweet. So I decided to come down here. Now I'm glad I did."

"Where's Fred?"

"He and Angelina went to Hogsmeade together. Probably snogging each other's faces off right now."

Vanessa sat down at one of the long tables, and George walked over to sit next to her. Dobby arrived a moment later, carrying a tray of sandwiches, two Butterbeers, and several heart-shaped cookies.

"Don't tell the rest of them I gave you those. They are for the feast tonight."

"Thanks, Dobby," they said together.

Vanessa picked up one of the sandwiches and ate it quickly.

"Someone's hungry."

"I haven't eaten since last night. I finished all my homework this morning, and before I knew it, I missed lunch. So that's why I came down here."

"Didn't have a date with Pucey today?"

"He did ask me, but I turned him down."

George grinned before taking a sip of his Butterbeer. "Lucky for me then."

"Lucky for us." She picked up her Butterbeer and took a sip of it before setting it down and grabbing another sandwich. "What about you? No girls asked you out today?"

"Oh loads, I turned down so many girls." He grabbed one of the cookies off the plate and ate it.

"Trying to make me jealous?"

"Is it working?"

"Maybe."

"Because every time I see you with Pucey, I want to smack a bludger in his direction."

"No more hitting anyone with bludgers."

George wrapped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer to him before kissing the top of her head.

"Can't we just stay down here for the rest of the school year?"

"Classes, Georgie."

"Who needs them? Besides, you could probably not take your N.E.W.T.s and still be at the top of the class." 

"You know I couldn't do that. We've only got a few more months. Then we can put this all behind us and finally be together."

"Really?"

"I mean unless you don't want to."

"Shut up, Nessa. You know I want that more than anything."

They spent the next few hours in the solitude of the kitchen. Several house-elves came up to them, asking if they wanted anything else, but they were perfectly content. They had eaten everything off their tray and had several glasses of Butterbeer before they realized how late it was getting. George left first, and Vanessa followed after him several minutes later. Students had slowly started to trickle in from their trip to Hogsmeade. Vanessa went straight back to her room, not needing to go to the feast that evening.

A week later, an article had been printed in the Quibbler, where Harry told his story of the night Lord Voldemort returned. In her usual fashion, Umbridge passed a decree to ban the publication from the school. She also banned Harry from visiting Hogsmeade in the future. Vanessa showed her support for the High Inquisitor, still wanting to stay in her good graces. She started to visit Umbridge for tea when the older woman permitted her. Those times made Vanessa so uncomfortable, but she had to remind herself that she was doing this for the greater good.

After countless Quidditch practices, it finally came time for Slytherin to take on Hufflepuff. Vanessa was looking forward to shutting up Zacharias Smith, who had been the most annoying part about attending the D.A. meetings. She had scored more goals in that game than she had in a long time, and the team seemed to be on their game, but Hufflepuff beat them by ten points. 

In her annoyance at the loss, she proceeded to yell at her team once again. Even if they beat Ravenclaw in their next match, there was no way they would win the House Cup. Most of the team cleared out after that, not wanting to get yelled at anymore. Draco, however, lagged behind.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"She's getting close to figuring out your little secret. She doesn't suspect your involvement, of course, but she believes there is a secret society meeting against her direct orders."

"Are you going on about this again?"

"Look, I know you said you don't trust me, and that's fine. But I'm just looking out for you. Despite what you might think about me, you're one of the few people I like and respect around here."

Vanessa let out a laugh that startled Draco. "Sure, Draco." 

"I saw you with one of the Weasley twins on Valentine's Day. You left the kitchen separately, but I knew you were together."

She had her wand out and pointed at Draco so fast, and the younger Slytherin had no time to respond. 

"Are you spying on me for her? Is that what this is, Draco?"

"No, I'm just trying to warn you. If I saw you, who knows who else could have seen you. Just listen to me, please." 

"I'm done listening to you, Draco." She lowered her wand and placed it in her pocket. She grabbed the rest of her things and walked past him, not giving him a second thought as she made her way back to the castle.

When Vanessa saw Hermione patrolling the corridors one night, she mentioned Draco's warning to her. Like Vanessa, Hermione knew that Draco couldn't be trusted, but she found it rather curious that he had stopped her twice with the same warning.

As February turned into March, Umbridge's reign of terror continued. Everyone knew what a horrible woman she was. She had caused permanent scarring on the back of Harry's hand in detention, thanks to her special quill. But it wasn't only the students that were dealing with the horror that was Dolores Umbridge.

There was a commotion in the entrance hall, causing students and teachers alike to see what was going on. Umbridge and Professor Trelawney stood in the middle of the crowd. Trelawney was sobbing. 

"You are no longer a Professor at this school. Now, please, see yourself out before you make more of a disturbance than you already have." 

"Hogwarts is my home. It has been my home for sixteen years." 

"That is no longer the case. Now please, before I have to force you out myself." 

"That won't be necessary, Dolores." 

The crowd turned to see Dumbledore, who seemed to come out of nowhere. Much to Umbridge's displeasure, Dumbledore had allowed Trelawney to stay at the school, even if she would no longer be teaching. With the help of McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick, they made their way back up to the tower Trelawney's living quarters were in.

Dumbledore's overruling of Umbridge continued when he hired the Centaur, Firenze, to take over as Divinations professor. Most of the female students seemed pleased by this, as the Centaur was rather good looking. Umbridge had made her opinions on the Centaur known. She believed half-breeds were beneath her. 

April arrived, and everything seemed back to normal, or as normal as it could be, with Umbridge making everyone's lives miserable. Vanessa spent more time studying for the upcoming N.E.W.T.s and trying to avoid Draco at every turn. He continued to find ways to corner her in the halls and warn her about Umbridge. 

Slytherin had beaten Ravenclaw in their final game of the season, but it wasn't enough to advance them to the finals for the house cup against Gryffindor. While she was disappointed, she knew that she had played her best that year, and she did as much as she could with the team she had. Professional Quidditch wasn't in her future, but her last match at Hogwarts was nostalgic for her. 

After the game, when all the students and professors had gone back to the school, she walked out onto the middle of the pitch. She looked around and took it all in. After a few moments and one last look around, she smiled and walked off through the tunnel for the last time, and headed back to the school.


	17. Graduation

"Miss Diggory, I will ask you one last time. What is your name doing on this list."

Vanessa sat in front of the High Inquisitor, Pansy Parkinson standing proudly behind her. The Slytherin had been the one to grab the list from the Room of Requirement after everyone had fled. Why had no one thought to grab it? It had all but implicated everyone who had signed it.

Dobby had come to warn everyone during the meeting that Umbridge had found out about them and that she had people coming to capture them. Thankfully most of the group, Vanessa included, had been able to get back to their dorms before they were caught. Others weren't so lucky.

"Dolores, you summoned me?" Snape's cold voice pierced the momentary silence as his eyes landed on Vanessa.

"Thank you for coming, Severus. The Minister of Magic is on his way to Hogwarts. The secret organization that I had long suspected Dumbledore of forming has finally been found. Miss Diggory appears to have been a part of it, though she won't tell me anything. I figured some Veritiserum might loosen her tongue."

"What proof do you have of Miss Diggory's involvement?"

Umbridge handed him the piece of paper that showed the names of all the students who were a part of Dumbledore's Army.

"Marietta Edgecombe of Ravenclaw informed me of a secret meeting taking place tonight. When I dispatched a group of Slytherin's to investigate, they found a dozen members trying to flee. Mr. Malfoy caught Mr. Potter himself, and Miss Parkinson grabbed the list in your hand from the room."

"It appears Miss Diggory is the only Slytherin on this list. Explain yourself."

"Professor, I was only trying to gather information on the group. I had suspected something was going on months ago, but as none of the other members trusted me, I was not able to gather the information I would have liked."

"And why wouldn't you tell me about your suspicions sooner?" Umbridge's voice was back to being that sickly sweet tone she used so often.

"I wanted more information before I came to you. I figured if I could infiltrate the group, they would come to trust me and let me in on their plan. You may not know this, but before the summer, I was good friends with some of them."

Her words seemed to intrigue Umbridge. "I take it Mr. Potter lying about your brother's death has changed your opinions then?"

Vanessa nodded. Her story seemed to be working. "I knew Potter was lying about He Who Must Not Be Named returning. I have long suspected him of being the one who murdered my brother. I believe he did it so he could win the tournament himself. I wanted to know more, to hear the lies he was spreading. I realize now that I should not have done this on all on my own."

Umbridge looked from Vanessa to Snape.

"I will back Miss Diggory, Dolores. I have known her for many years. She deals with facts and logic; she would not have been part of this group without reason."

Nodding her head, Umbridge stood from behind her desk.

"Very well. Miss Diggory, you are excused. But please remember what I had previously told you. If you suspect anything, please come to me first. While I appreciate what you tried to do, I could have been of more help to you. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I have to meet Cornelius and see to Dumbledore's dismissal."

Pansy followed her out of the room, and Vanessa turned to look at her Head of House.

"How could you be so stupid?"

"Professor, I-" but Snape cut her off.

"You have acted incredibly foolish. Had you been caught tonight, you could have blown your whole cover. Remember what you're doing and why you agreed to do it."

She immediately stood from her chair and glared at him.

"I know why I'm doing this. I've risked friendships for this. And for what? I have not obtained any information. Did Dumbledore think that children of Death Eaters were going to be vocal about his return?"

"Keep your voice down, Miss Diggory. Your school year is nearing its end. This will all be over soon. Trust the Headmaster. He knows what he's doing."

"He's about to be sacked. It's only a matter of time before Umbridge is running things around here."

"Then I suggest you stay on her good side as you have been."

Vanessa left the room, not responding to him and not giving him a second look. This was not at all how she wanted to spend her last year at school.

The next day it was announced that Umbridge had been made Headmistress of Hogwarts. Dumbledore had fled before the Aurors could arrest him the night before. He had taken the fall for Harry, telling the Minister and Umbridge that the D.A. was his idea.

Marietta's face had become disfigured, thanks in part to Hermione's jinx she had put on the signup sheet. Everyone knew she was a sneak now, and almost everyone was giving her the cold shoulder. Cho was the only one defending her friend, but no one wanted to hear it.

Umbridge had rewarded the Slytherins that had been involved in the capture of D.A. members. Draco had earned Slytherin house points for catching Harry. Pansy had earned herself house points for grabbing the list. Graham Montague, however, had been shoved into a vanishing cabinet by Fred and George. He had tried to Apparate out the next day but ended up in a toilet on the 4th floor. He was currently in the hospital wing in a disoriented state.

Umbridge had taken it upon herself to form the Inquisitorial Squad, composed of the Slytherins who had helped capture Dumbledore's Army members. Vanessa had joined in an attempt to show further allegiance to the new Headmistress.

Fred and George decided to display their Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs on the second floor on the day Umbridge had been announced as Head Mistress. While the fireworks had disrupted many classes, none of the teachers did anything to stop it. No one wanted to help her. Many students had gathered around to watch this display. Vanessa stood back, away from everyone else, and smiled at the chaos.

The Easter Holidays arrived at the end of the week, but Vanessa had a pile of homework to finish and wanted to study more for her N.E.W.T.s. She had taken to studying in her secret room in the library again. Roger had been spending so much time in their dorm with his girlfriend that Vanessa couldn't concentrate properly. She had found herself falling asleep multiple nights in the room, not realizing how long or late she had been studying.

When the holiday had finished, and Monday rolled around, it had appeared the twins were back to the pranking. A portable swamp had been set up in a corridor on the fifth floor near Umbridge's office. Most of the students had been in the Great Hall when they had heard Umbridge shouting. Everyone gathered in and around the entrance hall to see her standing near Fred and George, who had mischievous grins on their faces. 

"So – you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?" Umbridge looked furious.

"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred said from the middle of the entry hall.

Filch ran up to Umbridge with forms in his hands, proclaiming he had whips waiting. She thanked him before turning her attention back to the twins. When she told them they were about to learn what happened to her school's wrongdoers, they piped up again.

"You know what, I don't think we are. George, I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," George said.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?"

"Definitely."

Together they summoned their brooms, and from a distance, a commotion could be heard. A moment later, their brooms were zooming down the marble staircase, a massive chain and iron peg still attached to one, as they had been secured in Umbridge's office.

The twins got onto their brooms, still antagonizing Umbridge as they went. They promoted their store and told students they would get a discount if they swore to use their products on the new Headmistress. She tried to stop them, even sending the Inquisitorial Squad after them. Vanessa stayed toward the back of the crowd. She was proud of them for finally taking a stand and wasn't going to try and stop them. She had met George's eyes for a moment, and he winked at her.

The twins kicked off on their brooms before anyone could reach them.

"Give her hell from us, Peeves," Fred shouted.

Peeves saluted the two before they took off into the sunset, the entrance hall erupting into cheers behind them.

In the days following, all anyone could talk about was Fred and George and the chaos they caused before they left. They had left no instructions on how to remove the portable swamp. Umbridge had to get a new door for her office, as the twins' brooms had left two broom shaped holes in the door. Even with the new door, it didn't stop students from sneaking nifflers into her office and causing chaos. Everyone was causing mischief that would have made the twins proud.

Even members of the Inquisitorial Squad were being caught in the crossfires. Vanessa continued to keep to herself so as not to be targeted. Just for effect, she had let Ginny jinx her at one point, though it was nothing too serious.

Gryffindor proceeded to beat Ravenclaw and secure the house cup that year, much to the Slytherins' disappointment. Though Vanessa watched and silently cheered for Ginny and Ron, both of them played very well.

The fifth and seventh years continued to study for their examinations as April turned into June. The examiners arrived the Sunday before exams were set to begin.

The next week and a half consisted of non-stop studying and test-taking. Vanessa had stayed up into the early hours of the morning, trying to study as much as she could. She and Roger had even taken to quizzing each other in their common room at night. It proved to be successful. She had every confidence that she passed each of her exams. She had even spent her birthday alone in the library, wanting to spend every last minute she could testing herself.

The day of the final exams had come, but that wasn't what was on people's minds. Aurors had come to arrest Hagrid just after midnight that morning. He had escaped, though Fang had been hit with a stunning spell while trying to defend him. McGonagall, who had also come to his aid, had been stunned by four Aurors at once. Madam Pomfrey had been tending to her in the Hospital Wing, but it wasn't enough. She was eventually transported to St. Mungos for further care.

Once exams were over, Vanessa was on her way back to her dorm when Cassius Warrington stopped her.

"Diggory, come on, we've got to get to Umbridge's office."

She looked at him before nodding her head and taking off after him. Other Inquisitorial Squad members had arrived and had Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna in their grasps. She knew she couldn't help them, not at that moment, not with Umbridge so close. She pushed to the front and grabbed Luna. They had all been gagged, and Crabbe was practically choking the life out of Neville.

"Crabbe, loosen your grip. He won't be much help if he passes out."

She grabbed the wands that Goyle had confiscated before she led them into Umbridge's office. Hermione was being pinned against the wall by Millicent Bulstrode, while Draco leaned against the window watching Umbridge and Harry. Warrington proceeded to tell Umbridge how they had captured Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Vanessa had loosened her hold on Luna, not wanting to hurt the young girl like the rest of her housemates were hurting the others.

Umbridge had sent Draco to get Snape, as Harry was not giving her the answers she wanted. He had been using the Floo network when he was caught, and Umbridge believed he was trying to contact Dumbledore. Snape arrived a moment later, Draco tailing behind him.

"Severus, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum."

"You've used the last of my supply to interrogate Potter. I told you three drops would do the trick."

"Can't you make more?"

"It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so it can be ready in a month."

"I don't have a month." She proceeded to tell him about Harry using the Floo. Snape didn't seem surprised by this. She told Snape that she needed to interrogate him, that he had to know where Dumbledore was, but Snape assured her that he had no more Veritaserum in stock.

In a last-ditch effort for help, Harry told Snape that he had Padfoot at the place where it's hidden. Umbridge questioned him, and Snape played dumb. As Snape left, he reiterated what Vanessa had told Crabbe earlier, that if he didn't loosen his grip, Neville would be seriously injured, and Snape didn't want to deal with the paperwork.

"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," Umbridge said, once Snape had left the room. Hermione was shouting in protest, but it fell on deaf ears. The Headmistress proceeded to tell the room that she was the one who had set Dementors on Harry over the summer. She had wanted Harry silenced, but it didn't work.

Hermione had finally gotten Umbridge's attention. She had told the room that Harry was attempting to contact Dumbledore and that Dumbledore had a secret weapon that they had been working on, and it was finally ready. This seemed to delight Umbridge. She told the Inquisitorial Squad that she would have Harry and Hermione take her to the weapon while they proceeded to watch over the rest of the group.

Vanessa still didn't fully trust Malfoy. Even after the D.A. had been captured, he had still tried to approach her, trying to defend himself and his actions. She didn't know what to believe though.

When Umbridge left the room with Harry and Hermione, Vanessa looked around and caught Ron's eye. Vanessa had attempted the same spell she had used on the twins during the third task of the Triwizard tournament, though instead of it being on herself, she projected it onto her friends.

Suddenly, all of the Slytherins were letting go of their hostages, wincing at the heat. She nodded at Ron and whispered into Luna's ear. Ron grabbed the wands from Vanessa during the distraction, and the group turned on the Slytherins and started attacking them with any manner of spells, hexes, and jinxes they could think of. With a nod to her friend, Ginny hit Vanessa with a jinx to make it look like she hadn't just helped them.

Once the jinx wore off, Vanessa got to her feet and started to help the Slytherins around her. Even though they had been hurting her friends, she wasn't going to let them suffer. It would have looked suspicious.

Vanessa helped them to the hospital wing and explained to Madam Pomfrey what had happened. Once she made sure everyone was settled, she took off to the dungeons to find Snape.

"Miss Diggory, it's been taken care of. The Order has been informed and should be on their way to help your friends if it's not too late."

"What do you mean if it's not too late?"

"There are things you can't know about Miss Diggory. You should go to your dorm. I will make sure you're informed once I have news."

And so Vanessa returned to her common room and waited, eventually falling asleep on the couch. The next morning, she was being shaken awake by Roger Davies.

"Vanessa, wake up."

"What, what's happened?" She looked around, forgetting she had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Professor Snape sent me to get you. He said they're back. The whole school is buzzing about it." He gave her a copy of the Daily Prophet he said he grabbed at breakfast.

She took it from him and quickly read the headline, HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED RETURNS. She quickly read through the article before rushing to her room to clean herself up and change. A while later, she was running through the doors of the hospital wing.

"I only meant for you to escape, not try and get yourselves killed." She looked around at the lot of them, taking in the various injuries they had sustained the evening before. "I wish I could have been there to help you." Vanessa walked over to where Harry was and looked down at him. "I'm so sorry about Sirius. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"Thanks, Vanessa. That means a lot."

"Helping us escape was all we needed, Nessa. We knew you couldn't do more than that," Ginny said, smiling up at her from the end of Hermione's bed.

"Should you even be here right now?" The concern was evident in Hermione's voice.

"It's all over. Umbridge is out; Dumbledore is back in. I'm graduating, so I won't have to worry about pretending anymore."

"And you and George can finally be together." Everyone looked around at Ron. "What? I notice things."

She spent several hours with them in the hospital wing. They made fun of Umbridge, who was lying across the room looking delirious. Vanessa had finally made to leave after receiving a summons from the newly reinstated Headmaster.

She was climbing up the steps behind the stone gargoyle minutes later and knocked on the door. When she heard his voice beckon her in, she opened the door and walked inside.

"Miss Diggory. Please, come sit down."

She nodded her head and walked further into the office, taking the empty seat across from Dumbledore.

"I want you to know how foolish you acted yesterday. Your friends told me how you helped them escape." She had started to speak, but he held up a hand. "Sometimes, friendship is more important than duty. I will admit that. You have proven your loyalty and devotion to your friends during your time here. That is why I must ask you to return next year."

"Return? But Professor, I had plans to work on my career once I graduated."

"I understand that. We have reinstated Hagrid, and I believe that you would be a great asset to him. You could continue to learn from him, as you have over the last few years. Hagrid has said you have helped him heal animals when he has been unable to. You can continue to do that. Be his apprentice."

"And the Order?"

"The offer is still open for you to join permanently now that you are going to be out of school. But I will leave that decision to you."

"Yes."

Yes?"

"I will come back next year and help Hagrid. And I will join the Order. I want to be here should my friends or anyone else need my help." She thought of Draco and how oddly he had been acting throughout the year.

"You'll receive a letter sometime in the summer with information about your employment here at Hogwarts. You will, of course, be granted room and board inside the castle. I will have more details for you then. Thank you, Miss Diggory."

She left the office and returned to her room. She had never considered staying at Hogwarts as a career path, but with the oncoming war, it might just be the safest place for her.

The next week went by quickly. Professor McGonagal had returned from St. Mungos, having to use a walking stick, as she still wasn't entirely back to her normal self. Umbridge had recovered from the Centaur attack in the forest and was soon being run off the premises by Peeves. No one was sad to see her leave. Draco, who had been standing next to Vanessa when Umbridge was being chased off, slipped a note into her hand before disappearing.

He was worried about Voldemort being back; he was concerned about his family. With his father now in Azkaban, and having failed his mission, Draco was worried Voldemort would come for his mother and himself. His letter mentioned he would be in contact over the summer if he could. He had trusted her and hoped if the time came, she would be able to help him.

The seventh years were all eagerly anticipating their graduation ceremony. The night before their graduation, they all went up to the Astronomy Tower and had a huge party. They put up a silencing charm so that they wouldn't disturb the rest of the castle. Vanessa spent time with the other four girls she had shared a dorm with for seven years, as well as the other Slytherins in her year.

The group played loud music and drank too much that night. They weren't a group of 40 that they had been for six years. They were now only a group of 37. The twins were gone, running their joke shop in Diagon Alley. And Cedric, Cedric had been gone for a year, and it still hurt. The nine remaining Hufflepuffs silenced the room and called Vanessa over to them. Together, the group raised a glass in Cedric's memory.

That night, she talked to Adrian. She had avoided him for some time but knew she couldn't avoid him in their current setting.

"I'm sorry I've been ignoring you, Adrian. That wasn't fair to you. We've been friends and teammates for years."

"I get it. I'm not George Weasley."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not stupid, Nessa. We've been friends for seven years. Plus, that bludger he hit you with, I know it was intended for me."

She laughed at the memory and touched her arm. "You're not mad?"

He hugged her, still smiling. "Not in the slightest. If I'm honest, I was using you almost as much as you were using me."

Vanessa laughed. "Sophia?"

He nodded. "I figured seeing someone else would help me get over her, but it didn't work. Especially because that someone had feelings for someone else. I asked you out at the beginning of sixth year because I was jealous she was flirting with someone else. Same reason I kept trying to get you to go out with me again this year. I hope it works out between you and Weasley though, considering you two aren't friends anymore."

"We weren't ever not friends. It's a long story. But I love him, and I'm going to tell him when I see him again." Vanessa took a sip of her drink before turning to look around the room. "Sophia, come here," she yelled over the music.

"What are you doing?"

"Just trust me, Pucey."

Sophia came over to the two of them, her long blond hair falling down her shoulders. She eyed the two of them for a moment, her cheeks slightly pink from all the drinking, but she had a jealous glint in her eyes.

Vanessa took another drink and then smiled at both of them. "Soph, I know for a fact you still have feelings for Adrian, and he's just admitted to me that he still has feelings for you too. So would you two please get over yourselves and get back together."

A few of the Slytherins were standing nearby and shouted their agreement. Adrian and Sophia had dated on and off since fourth year but officially split when Sophia decided to have a fling with one of the Beauxbaton boys last year. It obviously didn't last. She had spent most of the year either flirting with random boys or moping around because she wanted Adrian back.

The two looked at each other for a moment, and Vanessa took the opportunity to join the rest of the Slytherins that were watching. Adrian and Sophia were in each other's arms the rest of the night, ignoring everyone else.

Vanessa talked to the rest of her housemates that night. They all admitted that they knew she still had feelings for one of the twins, but the weird part was, none of them seemed to care. Most of them admitted that they liked the twins and thought their pranks were hilarious. Some of them even admitted to secretly dating members of other houses who weren't pureblood. Though not all their parents were Death Eaters, the ones who were, seemed worried that Voldemort's return would mean they would become the next generation of Death Eaters, as their parents would want them to. But none of them seemed to like that idea.

Graham, who had finally recovered from his vanishing cabinet injury, admitted to the group that the only reason he joined the Inquisitorial Squad was because his parents had encouraged him to. They wanted him to be on Umbridge's good side.

It was just what the Order predicted. Voldemort was most likely coming after the children of Death Eaters. Vanessa had no way of knowing what would happen to them once they left school. She probably wouldn't keep in contact with most of them. Maybe the people she played Quidditch with, but that was a stretch. She would probably stay in touch with Adrian, as they had been friends since first year. He was the first person who talked to her after they had both been sorted. It was nice though, she thought, to speak openly and honestly with them for the first time in years.

Vanessa had finished packing all her belongings the next morning and had spent the day wandering around the castle.

When the time came for the ceremony, an area in front of the Black Lake had been filled with rows and rows of chairs. Family and friends filled in first, then the underclassmen. The seventh-year students then made their way down the walkway between the rows of chairs, filling up the seats at the front. They were not divided by house as they had been through their education but were now sitting in alphabetical order, the same way they had been sorted when they first came to Hogwarts. Dumbledore made his usual speech, acknowledging how proud he and the rest of the professors were. He mentioned how far they had come and how far he knew they all would go. He mentioned Voldemort and warned them of the dangers and temptations they may face. 

The seat to the left of Vanessa had been left empty for the ceremony in honor of her brother. She kept glancing over at it, even though she knew he wouldn't be there.

Dumbledore, with the help of the Heads of Houses, stood and called each student's name. Their Head of House presented them with an envelope, similar to what they received upon their acceptance into the magical school. However, this envelope included their N.E.W.T. scores and a letter from the Headmaster congratulating them on completing their magical education. As each student went, there were cheers in the crowd.

When it was time for Vanessa's name to be called, Dumbledore also mentioned that she would be receiving an envelope on her brother's behalf. As she walked to Dumbledore and Snape, she glanced out into the crowd. She couldn't believe everyone who had come to see her. Her mother, aunt, the Weasley family, Rosie and Antonia from the Dragon Reserve, Fleur, and Viktor were all there. She turned back to Dumbledore and smiled, taking her envelope from Snape. Professor Sprout moved next to Snape and handed her another envelope.

"For Cedric. He should have been here today."

Vanessa nodded her head, holding back tears, and she made her way back to her seat. Once everyone had made their way through and received their envelopes, Dumbledore moved to center stage again and spoke.

"Seventh years, please reconvene back here in one-half hour. You will be taking the same boats back to Hogsmeade that had brought you to Hogwarts in your first year. Until then, please enjoy your time with your family and friends. Thank you all for attending, and seventh years, best of luck in your futures."

Everyone stood up and began applauding. Many of the students around her were hugging their friends and classmates. She had started to make her way over to her family and friends when Professor Snape stopped her.

"Miss Diggory. I would just like to say that it has been a pleasure teaching you. I haven't seen as much skill in potion-making since I was your age. You should consider a career in it, though I know it isn't your dream."

"Thank you, Professor. And not to worry, I'll still be using my potions skills to help magical creatures."

"And it seems you'll be doing so here at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, it looks like we'll be colleagues of sorts next year."

"I expect you to continue to make Slytherin house proud."

She nodded. "Of course."

He nodded his head to her and took off back towards the rest of the professors.

She ran through the crowd to where her mother was standing and wrapped her arms around her.

"I didn't know you would be here."

"I wouldn't have missed this."

Fred and George had gone to talk to Angelina, Lee, and the rest of their friends from Gryffindor who were graduating.

She proceeded to hug and talk with everyone else in the group, thanking Charlie, Rosie, and Antonia for traveling so far. She had finally made her way to Fleur and Viktor, who had been talking about being back at Hogwarts.

"I can't believe you two came back for this. Thank you so much."

"We wouldn't miss it. Plus, there is this," Fleur brought her hand up to show Vanessa the ring on her finger.

"You're getting married?" She looked from Fleur to Viktor, slightly puzzled, when Bill walked over to them and wrapped an arm around Fleur.

"It's me she's marrying. She'll be spending the summer with the family at the Burrow."

"That's wonderful news. Congratulations."

She turned to Viktor, who had grabbed her hand and kissed it. The two stood and talked for several minutes, catching up with each other and talking about his graduation the year before.

When she had finally started to look for the twins, it was too late. It was time for the students to gather onto the boats to take them across the lake. As it was, she couldn't find either of the twins in the crowd. The seventh years were told that their belongings would be waiting for them when they arrived in Hogsmeade.

She met up with Roger and his girlfriend and decided to take the boat over with them. While the method wasn't as quick as the carriages, she enjoyed the ride, looking at the castle growing smaller in the distance. She was still holding on to the envelopes in her hand and stared down at Cedric's name, wishing he was there with her.

When they finally arrived in Hogsmeade, she got out of the boat and headed towards the train station alone. She put the envelopes in the pockets of her robes, not wanting to lose them. Most of the underclassmen had already arrived, and the platform was full of people. She had seen the group of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna, surrounded by several D.A. members who had just stopped Draco and his friends from attacking them.

"You know, now that you're no longer a student, you don't have to take the train back to King's Cross."

She turned around and was face to face with the twins. "Well, maybe I want to. However, I could always pull a Fred and George and fly my broom out of here. That's what all the kids were calling it."

"You're not mad at us for leaving, are you?" George asked.

"No, I'm not mad. It might interest you both to know that after Flitwick finally decided to get rid of the swamp, he left a bit of it roped off in the corridor. He said it was a good bit of magic."

"Well, he's not wrong," Fred said.

"So, are you taking the train, or do you want to come with us? Because we have something to show you."

"But George, all my stuff. My owl."

"We talked to Ginny. She said she would make sure it got back to you."

"Fine, where are we going?"

"You'll see." Fred and George each took one of her hands, and with a pop, they were gone.


	18. I Love You

Vanessa and the twins arrived in Diagon Alley a moment later, standing in front of a very vibrant building. She looked up and saw the sign Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes.

“You did it. You actually did it.”

“Wait till you see the inside.” Fred led the way into the shop. It was just as colorful inside as it was outside. She looked around, trying to take in everything. The twins led her around the shop, showing her almost all the products they had. They showed her the lab and their storeroom and introduced her to Verity, the young girl they had hired to help with the shop. 

Vanessa had walked away from them for a moment, seeing the violently pink display they had in the corner of the shop. She looked around at the various WonderWitch products before setting her eyes on the love potions.

“I don’t think you need one of those.”

She had been looking at the tiny heart-shaped bottles and didn’t hear George come over to her.

“This isn’t a real love potion, is it?”

“Of course it is. It’s one of our best mail-order sellers, so once the Hogwarts students start coming through, we expect they’ll buy up the lot.”

“It’s extremely dangerous.”

“Don’t worry about it, Nessa.”

Her eyes moved to the cage full of fluffy pink and purple objects.

“Those are miniature Puffskeins we’re calling Pygmy Puffs. Been breeding them ourselves.”

At this, she turned and looked at him. “You’ve been breeding magical creatures yourselves? Are you out of your mind?”

George smiled. “We’ve got permits for them if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“That and the fact that you’re breeding magical creatures for profit.”

“If you ask nicely, I’ll give you one.”

“I don’t want one.” She smacked him on his arm, but he just laughed.

“Come on; the tour isn’t over.” He took her hand and led her upstairs to the flat he and Fred shared over the store. It was a decent-sized space. She was surprised at how clean they had kept it, except for the kitchen table that was littered with paperwork.

“You guys really pulled it off. The place looks great, and Verity seems nice. She’s very pretty.” 

Vanessa took off her robe that she was still wearing, leaving her in the black dress she had decided to wear for the graduation. She threw the robe over a nearby chair and turned back to him.

“Is someone jealous?”

“Should I be?”

“I don’t think so.” George closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her. “You look beautiful. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

They leaned into each other, their lips nearly touching, when someone coughed behind them. They both turned to find a rather annoyed-looking Fred looking back at them. 

“Yeah, it’s me. Your brother and your best friend,” he said, pointing at George and then Vanessa. “I’m still here.” 

George pulled away from her and rolled his eyes. “Perfect timing, as usual, Freddie.” 

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “George, be nice.” 

She had spent most of the afternoon with the two of them, catching up on everything that had happened after they left. She told them about everything from Hagrid running off to avoid arrest to Umbridge being chased out of the school, and finally the N.E.W.T.s. 

“So, how many Outstandings did you get?”

“Honestly, I hadn’t even looked. I’m a little nervous.” She pulled the envelope out of her pocket. 

George took the envelope from her and pulled out the results, his eyes widening. “You got twelve Outstandings. Is that even possible?”

“For her? Sure it is. She got twelve O.W.L.s too,” Fred said.

Vanessa took the paper from George and looked it over. Sure enough, after months of grueling studying, she had passed every one of her N.E.W.T.s.

“I can’t believe I did it.”

“Please, like you didn’t know. You were the smartest person in the whole class. Plus, you spent most of your seventh year in the library.”

“Yeah, but Hermione is giving me a run for my money.”

“Well, since you’re not there now, I’m sure it’s okay.”

“I won't be there as a student, but I’ll still be there.”

Fred and George both looked at her questioningly before she told them of Dumbledore’s offer to work at the school under Hagrid and officially join the Order of the Phoenix.

“It’s going to be just like this last year all over again. We’ll never see you,” George said.

“No, it won’t. I can come to visit on the weekends if I’m not busy. Plus, we’ve got the whole summer.”

“You’re right, as usual.”

“We should probably get you home. I think your Mum and aunt are staying at your house. Our Mums were planning a little get-together tomorrow to celebrate your graduation.”

“I think I can take her on my own, Fred.”

Fred rolled his eyes. “As you wish. Nessa, congratulations again.”

She crossed the room and hugged Fred. “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”

“You two have fun,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

George walked up behind her, holding her cloak in one hand, and took her hand before Apparating to her house.

The house looked just as she had left it almost a year ago. She saw that the lights were on and saw her mother and aunt sitting at the kitchen table through one of the open windows. 

“There’s somewhere I want to go first.” She turned, her hand still in George’s, and began walking in the direction of the village. The sun was setting, and she wanted to get to the location before it was completely dark.

When they arrived at the cemetery, she walked to her brother’s grave. The headstone had been put up after she had left for Romania and hadn’t had a chance to see it until now. She dropped George’s hand and went to sit on the grass surrounding the stone. George had stayed back, wanting to give her space.

“You should have been there today, Ced. The ceremony was lovely. We took the boats across the lake, just like we did when we arrived at Hogwarts. You would be happy to know that I lost to Hufflepuff in Quidditch too. Their new seeker wasn’t as good as you though. We had a big end of year party, all the seventh years. George and Fred weren’t there though; they left school to open a joke shop. But we all raised a glass in your memory.” She touched her hand to the headstone, tears starting to fall down her face. “I miss you so much. I hate that you aren’t here with me right now. I promise I won’t wait so long to visit next time.”

She stood up, letting her hand linger on the headstone a moment longer. She turned to George, who had his hands in his pockets, and looked around at the darkening cemetery.

“I love you, Cedric.”

Vanessa took out her wand and conjured some flowers that appeared at the foot of the headstone. She walked back towards George and linked her arm in his before leading them back towards the house. They walked in silence, which she was grateful for.

Nothing had changed inside the house, not that she had expected it to. She hadn’t had time to redecorate much before she left for Romania. She and George stayed up and talked with her mother and aunt, who had told her they would be leaving after the party the next night.

Despite protests to stay, George headed back to his flat in Diagon Alley, wanting to give Vanessa some time with her family.

The three women talked till well after midnight before deciding to turn in. Vanessa’s trunk was sitting at the end of her bed, and Ruby’s cage was atop her wardrobe. She went over and opened the cage and watched as the owl fluttered onto her shoulder and pecked gently at her hand. She walked toward the window of her room and opened it, allowing the owl to fly out into the night.

She slept longer than anticipated. Her mother had come into her room at half past noon the next day to check on her. 

“Sweetheart, are you okay?” 

“I guess I was just exhausted. I can’t remember the last time I slept so late.”

“Well, we’re due at the Burrow around three o’clock for the party.”

“I’ll be ready. Oh, and Mum, I wanted to give this to you.” She pulled the envelope with Cedric’s name on it out of her robe pocket. Her mother moved into the room and sat on the edge of the bed next to her, taking the envelope from her hands.

“Maybe you should keep this.”

“I figured you would want it.”

“I think your brother would have wanted you to keep it. Speaking of, how did you do on your N.E.W.T.s?”

“Twelve Outstandings.”

“I’m so proud of you.” She leaned over and kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Your aunt and I will be in the living room whenever you come down.”

Vanessa got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to shower. She took her time getting ready. She rummaged through her trunk for something to wear, not having bothered to unpack it the night before. Everything she had gotten in Romania was still in there, along with all of her school and casual clothes. She took out one of the dresses Antonia had gifted her the summer before and decided to wear it. It was a short flowy dress, and perfect for the warmer weather. 

She went back to her trunk to search for the vials of potion she had made in her room over the school year. Finding the one she was looking for, she uncorked it and drank it. She put the now empty bottle on her nightstand. 

Not wanting to keep digging through her trunk to find things, she waved her wand, and her trunk unpacked itself. Her clothes moved to her wardrobe, her books to her bookcase, and her extra potions to her desk. When she was finished, she headed downstairs.

“Are you wearing a dress?” 

“I got a few of them last year. I don’t know if you met Antonia yesterday, but she owns a shop in Romania and gave me a few things while I was there last summer. I thought this would be nice to wear since it’s warmer outside.” 

“What is that on your back?” Her aunt had spoken this time. 

Vanessa turned a shade of red and turned around. She had forgotten she hadn’t shown her mother or her aunt her tattoos when she visited for Christmas. 

“I got this last year too. It’s a dragon, more specifically, the dragon that Cedric faced in the first task of the tournament.” She turned back around and saw the look on her mother’s face. “I got this one too.” She showed them the badger on her wrist. 

“Honestly, dear, I wish you wouldn't have.” 

“Sorry, Mum. I wanted to get something for Cedric.” 

Her aunt laughed. “Don’t worry. I have one too, though it’s hidden. Your mother didn’t like that I got it either.” 

“No matter. We should head over to the Burrow. Everyone who wasn’t staying at the Burrow should be arriving soon if they aren’t already there.” 

The three women left the house and Apparated to the Burrow. Except for Harry, who was at the Dursleys, everyone who had attended the graduation ceremony was there. Viktor helped Charlie and Bill set up tables outside while Hermione, Ginny, and Fleur were bringing out place settings for the tables. 

“We’re going to go in and see what Molly needs help with.” Her mother and aunt walked off towards the house. She couldn’t believe that they were doing all of this for her. 

She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind and knew exactly who it was. She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling up at him. 

“I can’t believe you’re wearing a dress.” 

“It was warm, and I figured it would be a nice change. Do you like it?”

“I do, but I like the girl in it a lot more.” 

“Shut up, George Weasley.” 

He smirked down at her and nodded his head. He closed the space between them and kissed for the first time. She moved her hands through his hair, pulling him closer to him to deepen the kiss.

“Oi, get a room, you two.” 

Fred had popped up behind them, forcing the two to pull apart. 

“Really, Fred?.” 

“I was just saying what everyone was thinking, Nessa.” 

She rolled her eyes and turned around. She noticed the group of people who were setting up outside were all looking at them. 

“Well, I guess I should go say hello to everyone.” 

“Fred, can you give us a second,” George asked his brother. 

“I get it; I’m the third wheel now.” 

“Freddie, you’ll never be a third wheel.” Vanessa hugged him and smiled. 

“You say that now, Nessa.” He walked away and went to help finish setting up for the party. 

“Before you go visit with everyone, I wanted to ask you something.” 

“What is it, George?” 

All of a sudden, he seemed to get nervous, and it made her worry. She reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

“Well, we’ve liked each other for some time now, and I would have asked you this sooner had you not been pretending not to like me last year. But now that we’re both out of school and that’s all behind us, I was hoping you would be my girlfriend.” 

“I thought you would never ask.” 

“Is that a yes?” 

“Of course, it’s a yes.” 

His nervousness was gone, and he was smiling as though he had just won a quidditch game. 

“There’s one more thing. And then I promise I’ll let you get to the party.” 

“I love you, George Weasley.” 

“I was supposed to say it first.” 

“Well, you should have just come out with it then because I’ve been waiting a long time to say it.” 

“Surely not as long as I have.” He wrapped her in his arms again and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Vanessa Diggory.” 

Those three little words they both had been longing to say to each had finally been spoken. They were both happier than they had been in a while because they were finally together. 

They pulled apart a few moments later, though neither wanted to. They walked hand in hand to where everyone was gathered so that she could say hello. She tried to spend time with everyone, as they were all there to celebrate her. Even Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, and Moody showed up for the festivities. When she had finally gotten to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, she hugged them both and thanked them for hosting the party for her. 

“Your mother had asked, and we were happy to help. I see you and George have finally figured out your feelings. I am so delighted.” 

Ginny, who was standing nearby, walked up to them and rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Mum, could you be any more obvious.” 

“Well, she’s better than Fleur.” 

“Please don't tell me you’re having problems already?” 

“She’s so annoying and bossy,” Ginny said. 

“And she’s here for the summer. Of course, we’re trying to get along for Bill’s sake, but he could do so much better than her,” Mrs. Weasley said. 

She had never heard Mrs. Weasley speak negatively of someone before, and it was new for her. 

“I know it’s not my place, as I’m not part of the family, but she’s a nice person. Just give her a chance.” 

“You are a part of this family, dear, and you know that.” Mrs. Weasley hugged Vanessa and kissed her on the forehead. “You know that we’re all here for you if you need anything.” 

“Thank you, Mrs. Weasley.” 

She left them and went to visit with everyone else. As she walked away, she heard Mr. Weasley telling his wife to stop being so hard on Fleur. 

She had talked with Rosie and Antonia, the latter who was beyond excited she was wearing one of the dresses she had gifted her. Rosie had told her about some of the exciting things happening on the Reserve and how everyone had missed her. She also said she could give her another haircut, as her hair had grown out over the year. She even went back to her natural brown color.

Vanessa had properly introduced Ron and Viktor after Ron kept glancing over at the Bulgarian. The two immediately began talking about the World Cup, and Ron had started to ask him for advice as she walked away. 

When it finally came time to eat, everyone gathered around the long table that had been set up. She sat between Fred and George, feeling happier than she had in a long time. Her mother stood up before they started eating and gave a toast to her daughter and everything she had accomplished. That night everyone ate until they could eat no more, as was expected when Mrs. Weasley threw a party. 

Her mother and aunt were the first to leave. They both wanted her to visit again over the summer and told her to bring George along. They hugged her, and her mother kissed her on the cheek before they Apparated back to Paris. 

Viktor, who had been talking to George, was also getting ready to leave. She walked over to them and looked between the two curiously. George winked at her before walking toward Fred. 

“You two finally figured out how you felt.” 

Vanessa’s cheeks flushed almost instantly. “We did. I hope you’re not upset.” 

“Not at all. I’m glad you’re happy. I know it would have been hard for the two of us to work out. I hope we can still be friends, and I hope you’ll continue to write to me.” 

“I am very happy. I’m so glad you came for this. It was nice to see you again. And of course, we’ll still be friends, and I’ll write to you as often as I can.” 

Instead of kissing her hand as he usually did, he embraced her in a warm hug. 

“Wonderful. I must be off. Early morning practice.” And a moment later, he was gone.

Rosie and Antonia headed back to Romania without Charlie, who would be staying a few days at the Burrow with his family. The Order members were the last to leave. 

Hermione was staying at the Burrow for a few more days before heading back to her family. Fred, who had had far too much Firewhisky, was also staying at his family home for the night. She was sure Mrs. Weasley enjoyed having a full house and hoped that she would change her opinion on Fleur. 

Everyone gathered in the living room. Vanessa continued to thank Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for a lovely evening. They were all talking, playing games, and drinking more butterbeer and Firewhisky than they should have. 

Fred started dancing and singing, earning a laugh from everyone. That was until he began to get a little indecent, and Mrs. Weasley decided he needed to go to bed. He resisted at first, stating that he was an adult and completely fine.

Vanessa and Ron had been playing a game of Wizard’s Chess on the floor. George was sitting on the couch behind her, running his fingers through her hair, and Ron was shouting angrily at his pieces, even though he was winning. When they finally finished the game, she stood up and looked around.

“I should get home.” 

George stood up from the couch and looked down at her. “Want some company.” 

“Shouldn't you keep an eye on Fred?”

“He’ll be fine. I’m sure Mum gave him something to help with how he’ll be feeling tomorrow.” 

“Well then, let’s go.” 

He took her hand, and they said goodnight to everyone who was still awake. They left the Burrow and Apparated back to her house, which now seemed incredibly empty. 

She pulled him up the stairs and into her bedroom and started kissing him again. Her arms snaked around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as he moved to the edge of the bed and sat down, pulling her on top of him.  His hands moved up to the back of her neck, and he tangled his hands in her hair. She had started to unbutton his shirt, the growing need between them getting more intense every second until he pulled away.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at him. “What’s wrong?” 

“I just want to make sure that this is what you want. I don’t want you to feel pressured.” 

“Georgie, I’ve wanted this for a while now. But if you would rather wait.” 

“Maybe we’ve both waited long enough.” 

His lips were on her neck a moment later, and he kissed his way down her shoulder and then moved back to her mouth. Eventually, both of their clothes were strewn across the floor, and they spent the whole night tangled up in each other. Their hands and mouths explored almost every inch of the other’s bodies.

“Bloody hell.” She looked up at the ceiling, her naked body only covered by the sheet that had been left on the bed. 

“I was thinking exactly the same thing.” 

“I don’t think I can move.” 

“Well, we don’t have to move right now.” George had rolled onto his side and leaned his head on his hand, smirking at her. 

“We’ve been at it for hours. If I don’t sleep soon, I might pass out.” 

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” 

Vanessa pulled the sheet over her face, slightly embarrassed. She still wasn’t used to all the compliments. 

George pulled the sheet away from her and took her hand in his. He looked down at the now shimmery mark on her wrist and kissed it. 

“It was worth the wait,” she said, looking over at him. 

George pulled her closer to him, and she rested her head on his bare chest. He pulled the covers over himself and kissed the top of her head. 

“I love you, Vanessa.” 

“I love you too, George.” 

They fell asleep in each other’s arms, as they had done the previous summer and Christmas holidays. But this time was different. This time they were together, no hiding behind unspoken words or hidden feelings.

“GEORGE WEASLEY, GET OUT OF BED NOW.” 

Vanessa and George both shot up in the bed, grabbing their wands off the nightstand and rubbing their eyes. The look of sheer terror on their faces made it all worth it for Fred, who had started laughing hysterically. Vanessa was trying to keep herself covered while George glared at his brother. 

“My impression of Mum always works.”

“Fred Weasley, get out of my room now. I will hex you if I have to.” 

“I thought sex was supposed to ease the tension. Guess I was wrong.” 

“FRED!”

The smirk on Fred’s face only got bigger. “Okay, okay. But Mum would like you both to join us for breakfast. So get a move on.” He winked at both of them and left the room. They heard the front door close a few moments later, and both fell back onto the pillows. 

“Well, that was embarrassing.”

“I’ll talk to him later about boundaries.” 

“You’re twins. I didn’t think you had boundaries.” 

“I gave him his space when he was with Angelina all last year. Never walked in on him and made a scene.” 

“But that was different. The three of us have been best friends ever since we were kids. I’m sure this is weird for him. He did complain about being the third wheel.”

“He’ll get over it.” 

“Don’t be mean, George. I don’t want us to be one of those couples that spend all their time together and not enough time with anyone else.” 

“Come one; we’ve both been waiting years for this. I think we can be a little selfish at first.” 

“Okay, maybe a little. Do you think he’s going to tell everyone?” 

“Well, everyone but Mum and Dad. He’s not an idiot.” 

She sighed and got out of bed. Part of her didn’t want to go to the Burrow after that. Not to mention, she was still exhausted. But she would nap later. 

“I’m going to go shower if you want to join me.” 

He was up and out of bed a moment later, and he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, causing her to giggle. “You might regret asking me that.” 

They showed up at the Burrow almost an hour later. Bill and Charlie were still eating, and Fleur was attempting to help Mrs. Weasley clean up. Everyone else was outside enjoying the nice weather. She caught Hermione and Ginny’s eyes when she walked by, both of whom had smiles on their faces. 

“I didn’t think you two would ever get here.” Mrs. Weasley greeted them in the kitchen and motioned for them to sit down. Vanessa took a seat next to Charlie, who was also looking at her like Hermione and Ginny had been. Mrs. Weasley set full plates in front of Vanessa and George, who both started eating as though they hadn’t had any food in days. 

“Would you like some tea, Vanessa?”

“No thank you, Mrs. Weasley. But if you have any more coffee, I would love a cup.” 

“Looks like you might need the whole pot,” Charlie said, while Bill coughed next to him. Thankfully, it didn’t seem as though Mrs. Weasley heard the comment. She sat a mug down in front of Vanessa and smiled. 

“I’ve got some things to do around the house. You lot, let me know if you need anything else.” 

Once Mrs. Weasley disappeared out of the kitchen, the two oldest Weasley siblings cracked jokes about Vanessa and George. That was until Fleur stopped them both. 

“Honestly, you two, leave them alone.” 

“Sorry dear,” Bill said, giving his fiancé an apologetic look. 

Vanessa spent the rest of the morning and the better part of the afternoon at the Burrow. She sat and talked with Hermione while the twins, Bill, Charlie, Ron, and Ginny all played Quidditch in the field. Hermione kept asking her about what happened the night before, as she noticed her mark had changed.

“Mione, all I’m going to say is that it was worth the wait.” 

She eventually headed back to her house. George had insisted on coming with her, but she told him she would see him later, as Mrs. Weasley had invited her back over for dinner.

Much of the next few days were spent at her house. Her mother had told her to make the place her own, and that was exactly what she planned on doing. Fleur had even come over and offered to help, which Vanessa had graciously accepted. Over the next week, she had finally had everything the way she wanted it. Aside from the layout, it looked like a new house. She had moved into the bigger room, turning her old room into an office area. The only room that had remained untouched was Cedric’s. She hadn’t had the courage to go into his room since his death. 

When she finally went inside, she wasn’t sure what she had been expecting. Nothing had changed. The numerous Quidditch posters he had were still on the walls. His bed looked as though it had just been slept in, as he rarely made it. His school trunk was placed in the room, most likely by their mother after returning from Hogwarts. This was all she had left of him, and it was too much for her to take in. 

She heard the front door open and close and the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. She tried to wipe away the tears before he saw her but knew it was too late. He had her wrapped in his arms a second later. 

“Nessa, what happened?” 

“I figured I would try and go through Cedric’s things, but I can’t. It’s been over a year, and I can’t even look at his things without breaking down.” 

He kissed the top of her head. “Would it help if I went through his things with you?” 

“Maybe later, but not now.” 

She pulled away and wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. “Shouldn't you be at the shop?” 

“We were closed today. We did our inventory and restocked everything. We finished earlier than expected, so I thought I would come over and see if you want to go to dinner with me. On an actual date.” 

“I would love that.” 

She went into her room and rummaged through her wardrobe. “Where are we going exactly?” 

“This Muggle place I found near Diagon Alley. They serve Italian food. I got Muggle money and everything.” 

She smiled. He seemed genuinely excited. After digging, she finally found the dress she had been looking for and tossed it on the bed, narrowly missing George’s head. She went and showered quickly and used her wand to finish getting ready. 

Their first date was a success. She didn’t have to worry about how she acted around him because they had already known each other so well. They went back to her place afterward. They spent all night and most of the next day in bed. The two couldn’t get enough of each other, but neither one was complaining about it. They were in love and happy and together, and that was all they needed.


End file.
